cubsfan26

Is that even possible? You wouldn't think so, but look at the NL teams especially the contending ones and there wasn't much improvement at all. The Dodgers lost Lowe and Manny as of right now. The Brewers lost Sabathia, Torres and Sheets as of right now(added just Hoffman). The Phillies swapped Burrell for Ibanez, Utley could miss the first month or two, and Romero is suspended for the first 50 games I believe. The Diamondbacks lost Hudson, Dunn, Johnson, Cruz, Lyon and only added Felipe Lopez. The Reds added Willy Taveras? The Cardinals only added Khalil Greene, Trever Miller, but lost Looper and Miles. The Astros lost Randy Wolf, Ty Wigginton and replaced them with Mike Hampton and Aaron Boone. The Rockies traded away Holliday, the Marlins traded away players, and that Nationals/Pirates/Giants still suck. So other then the Braves and possibly the Mets, nobody has really done much in the NL. Of course the Yankees, Indians, Rays and A's have improved in the AL, but thats still not really alot of teams. There's still alot of free agents out there, but as of right now I don't see how these teams have gotten better. So the Cubs have had a solid offseason all things considered, and I still think we will add another player or two.

With or without Peavy it's not a bad offseason, let alone a really bad offseason. In a offseason were very teams actually improved, and most teams got worse we really didn't do that bad. We downgraded a little in the pen and depth wise, but upgraded in the outfield. As long as Fontenot is solid, and a reliever like Gaudin, Guzman or Samardzija steps up were not really gonna miss a beat. Losing Torres, Sabathia and Sheets and replacing them with Trevor Hoffman is a really bad offseason. The only team in the NL you can say really improved alot is the Braves, and they probably still didn't improve enough to win that division. The Mets will be better with Putz/Rodriguez(had Wagner to August last year), but their SP and Delgado numbers dropping off could erase that improvement. I still believe we will add another starting pitcher, Peavy or no Peavy. But it doesn't hurt to have pitching prospects like Olson, Archer and Stevens around to use in trades during the season either(maybe for Peavy). I doubt the Padres are the only team that likes those pitchers. If Ricketts/Zell can agree to terms in the next few weeks I think Peavy can still be a Cub before opening day. I don't think Hendry or the Cubs will wait for MLB approval, and once the agreement is there Hendry will get the ok or not. But even if we don't get Peavy before opening day, we're still in a good spot to make a big trade during the season.

DePodesta has been making these type of comments since day one. Towers, Alderson and just about every Padres insider(even Peavy agent) have said the oppsite. DePodesta likes to pretend like his team holds all the cards. He thinks that when a team believes you wanna keep a player it will only drive up his price. Which is smart, but pointless most of the time. Plus GM's also don't like to be lied to or BS'ed either, thats why Hendry is so well respected by some GM's. Most of the time, a smart GM's know if a team wants or is willing to trade a player or not, and how much they give up depends on how much they want that player. So that talk stuff is often cheap, and probably rarely raises players value. In this situation it's really pointless since Towers/Alderson both said they would like to trade Peavy, but making a deal had to make sense for them. DePodesta is a front-office assistant with the Padres, so I would pay very little attention to what he says. When he does these little interviews, I think he likes to pretend he's a GM again.

Yeah there's obviously something very wrong with Sheets thats gonna prevent him for staying on the mound in the future. Otherwise guys like AJ Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Ryan Dempster wouldn't be getting big deals, without Sheets in that mix. So anybody trying to make a case for Sheets by comparing his past health history Peavy or anybody else is pretty much worthless. Teams aren't stupid and just passing on the guy, due to his previous health. Sheets is too good of a pitcher not to even get offered a 2 year contract by this point of the offseason.

The problem with Sheets right now, is most think his arm/shoulder are about to go. Sheets is a very good pitcher, and wouldn't still be on the market if he didn't have something wrong with him. If a team offered him 3y at 39m I think he would jump at that offer. But it doesn't seem like anybody is willing to offer him that since his medical reports(or past reports), have pointed out very negative things about his arm. At this point he would be lucky to get a 2 year deal, but he shouldn't be counted on to be healthy with his arm/shoulder in the shape it is in.

I agree, I can't see Cedeno being enough to get Heilman. Maybe Cedeno, Wuertz, and low level prospect for Heilman can get a deal done. I dunno why the Mariners would want Cedeno, they already have too simliar players at 2b/SS. But I heard they might move Jose Lopez to 1b. I think Hoffpauir has a decent chance to do what Hinkse can do. But alot of people don't wanna put much stock into what Hoffpauir has done, and don't wanna count on him filling in for Bradley. Hinske is more of a sure thing, and could give us DeRosa like production in RF. It all depends on the price though, and if the Cubs feel he could play third still here and there.

Bradley was a type B, the Rangers got a sandwich pick. Not one of the Cubs 1st or 2nd round picks.

I want nothing to do with Uribe, he would be Neifi with more power. Millar would be ok, but Hinske would be the perfect fit IMO. If we signed Hinske then all the freaking about losing DeRosa should be gone.

The Cubs didn't offically sign Bako yet, but I think they might have some type of handshake type agreement. The Cubs roster is full at 40 guys, so they could be waiting until Hendry clears some roster space before adding Bako.

Sounds like a pretty low salary, I thought he might get over 1m. But he might have took less money to get a little more playing time with the Padres. Blanco probably has a decent chance to get over 300 AB's with them next year.

I don't believe any rumor of Peavy coming to the Cubs without Vitters. Olson probably has number 3 starter potential, Marshall has 3 or 4 starter potential, Cedeno might be a average starting SS, if he improves at the plate. Kevin Hart might be a 5th starter or 7th inning reliever one day. Stevens will probably be a good 7th or 8th inning set up guy. Then Archer has front of the rotation potential, but he's still very young raw with control issues. The Padres are gonna want at least one potential stud player, mixed with a bunch of nice pieces. Not just a bunch of nice pieces for a guy like Peavy. Even with them being in a bad spot with his salary issues.

I doubt they have any plans for Mike Stanton, it's more just trying to catch lighting in the bottle hoping that he pitches well. Most likely he won't be any good and will get cut. Luis Rivas is a guy I can see being called up during the season if a infielder goes on the DL though.

Wuertz wasn't good last year, he had a 1.43 WHIP, and even had a 1.35 WHIP in Triple A. If the guy pitches more he probably has a much higher era, and he was very lucky to have a 3.63 era as is. I can understand blaming Lou with situational LH pitchers like Eyre/Ohman. Because Lou expected those guys to come in games and to throw strikes and get one or two LH hitters out. They struggled to do that at times, and Lou gave up on them. But I don't blame him with Wuertz at all. He used Wuertz alot in 2007, and he pitched him alot in April/May. He just stopped pitching Wuertz, because the guy stopped pitching good. I'm sure it was more then just in game performance to, and Wuertz wasn't pitching well in side sessions either. If Wuertz can pitch like he did in 07, he could be as good as Gregg. But I don't think we can count on that right now.

Wuertz was used alot the first two months of the season, especially in April. In May he pitched in less games, but was used in the same amount of innings. Still 27 IP the first two months of the season was only a half inning less then Howry, and two innings less then Wood. June is when Lou started to lose faith in Wuertz, because Wuertz was sucking. His era says 2.08 and looks pretty impressive, but Wuertz was very lucky. In 6 of 12 games he pitched in he allowed more hits or walks then outs he got. So he often let other pitchers base runners score, or was bailed out by other pitchers when he left runners on base. So maybe Lou did give up on him too soon, but lets not forget the same manager that let Wuertz pitch in 73 games a year ago. So maybe all the blame shouldn't go on Lou, and alot of it was due to Wuertz sucking. It didn't help that when he got sent to Triple A he pitched kinda subpar, and thats why it took him until September to come back. i was just talking about the IP argument. wuertz would have as much work as gregg if he was actually used and lou didn't hate him. And his era would have probably been much higher if Lou used him in more innings. Wuertz just wasn't good last year, there's a reason why he pitched 73 games in 07 and Lou lost faith in him last year. Wuertz just gets in these funks when he's horrible and can't get anybody out. We seen it in the past, and we saw it again last season. I'm a fan of Wuertz, and I really hope he pitches better next year. But I'm not gonna kid myself and say Wuertz wasn't good last year due to Lou. If anything Lou probably saved him from having a much higher era, by not pitching him much. The guy even had a 3.60 era in 20 innings at Triple A.

Wuertz was used alot the first two months of the season, especially in April. In May he pitched in less games, but was used in the same amount of innings. Still 27 IP the first two months of the season was only a half inning less then Howry, and two innings less then Wood. June is when Lou started to lose faith in Wuertz, because Wuertz was sucking. His era says 2.08 and looks pretty impressive, but Wuertz was very lucky. In 6 of 12 games he pitched in he allowed more hits or walks then outs he got. He often let other pitchers base runners score, or was bailed out by other pitchers when he left runners on base. So maybe Lou did give up on him too soon, but lets not forget the same manager that let Wuertz pitch in 73 games a year ago. So maybe all the blame shouldn't go on Lou, and alot of it was due to Wuertz sucking. Plus there's more to pitching then what we see in the game, I'm sure Wuertz was struggling pretty bad in his side sessions as well. For Lou to lose faith in this guy so fast. It didn't help that when he got sent to Triple A he pitched kinda subpar, and thats why it took him until September to come back.

Yes and those numbers don't tell the full truth. When you factor in Gregg was used as a starter, and how many more innings he's pitched in. Wuertz era was misleading in 06 and 08 due to small sample size. Even though he was very good in the second half of 06. Gregg ERA as a reliever 08-3.41 era in 68.2 IP 07-3.54 era in 84 IP 06-3.45 era in 62.2 IP(in AL) 05-4.42 era in 57 IP(in AL) 04-4.21 era in 87.2 IP(in AL) Wuertz 05-3.81 era in 75.2 IP(solid season) 06-2.66 era in 40.2 IP(Spent most of first half in minors) 07-3.48 era in 72.1 IP(Kevin Gregg like season) 08-3.63 era in 44.2 IP(3.60 era in 17 games in Triple A) Gregg has pitched in 60 plus innings the last three seasons and had a mid 3 era each year as a reliever. While Wuertz, two of the last three years has been so bad at times he was sent to Triple A. If Wuertz pitched in 60-70 innings in 06 and 08, his era would have mostly likely been much higher with the way he was pitching when he got sent down to the minors.

There's pretty much no reason why you should feel that way right now. If anything were in a better postion now, then we were in December. Look at this way 1. Cleared Marquis and DeRosa salary off the books, backloaded Bradley 09 salary. So fitting Peavy 09 salary and keeping the payroll at 148m is now realistic. Plus Jim Hendry also says he's still looking for a SP, and has even hinted about still going after Peavy. There's no way Hendry puts Marshall in the rotation, with questionmarks about Harden and goes with Olson or Gaudin as the fill in guys. So we will be adding another starting pitcher before opening day. 2. Added pitching talent in Olson, Archer and Stevens, that will probably interest the Padres. So getting a third team involved no longer seems like a must. 3. Added depth in Miles and Vizcaino, so that makes guys like Cedeno and Hart expandable. Also signed a RF, so we don't have to worry about fitting another contract in the budget, like back in December. 4. Whats left? Getting the new owner to approve Peavy contract for 2010 and beyond. Then of course getting the Padres to agree to a deal. But from everything Towers said in the past, it sounded like they were pretty close to a deal back in December, and the Cubs turned it down. Because at the time it didn't make sense with Marquis and DeRosa salary still on the books(Cubs might have gotten less or saved less money in the previous deals). Plus if we make the Peavy deal back in December, we most likely wouldn't have been able to sign Bradley until we had a new owner then. So if the new owner agrees to take on Peavy contract, this becomes a very realistic thing IMO.

It's still not a good idea to give a reliever a three year deal. Especially one who hasn't really been very steady over his career, and also has some control issues.

So what 2b isn't the only postion on the team. There is room for improvement offensivly on the roster. Soriano only playing 109 games last year is one major thing. Bradley over Edmonds(he only had 250 AB's), and hopefully Lee can have a rebound year. IMO the key guy that could make our line-up very good or just good is Fukudome. If Fukudome can hit 280/400/800, and hit second in our line-up it could make a huge impact. But even If he's simliar to last year or isn't good our line-up will still be one of the better line-ups in the NL. Plus when you win 97 games, it's hard to get better the next season. What a GM tries to do is stay as good, and tries to put his team in a better postion to win in the postseason. Hendry feels having more good LH bats in the line-up will help things in the postseason. Next year if we win 91 games but make it to the NLCS or World Series, whats the better season 09 or 08?

Just because Alfonseca sucked, doesn't mean Gregg will. Gregg Home/Away splits also show that Dolphin Stadium had very little effect in his results. Also keep in mind Gregg was pretty good out of the pen for the Angels in 06, his overall era was just higher due to him starting 3 games. He had a 3.45 era in 62.2 IP while striking out 62 and walking 19. Over the last three seasons out of the pen, he has a 3.47 era, striking out 206 with teams hitting just 227 against him in 215 IP. I expect Gregg to have simliar numbers for the Cubs next year. Plus if Gregg isn't pitching in the 8th or 9th who will be then? Vizcaino? Gaudin? Guzman might be a good option if you can count on him staying healthy? Samardzija maybe, but then he can't start and thats big role for such a raw pitcher IMO. Lou wouldn't do this, but I wouldn't have a terrible problem with Wuertz as the closer and Marmol in the eighth inning/fireman role. I don't have a terrible problem with Gregg - I just wonder if Ceda didn't have more value than a decent ML reliever. Maybe not, but that's my only real problem with that move. It seems like Wuertz and Gregg are similar pitchers. Good stuff, good K numbers, control problems. I hope Lou doesn't sour on Gregg the same way he did on Wuertz. As long as Gregg doesn't get in awful slumps like Wuertz does I think he will be fine. Remember Dempster also had poor control and Lou stuck with him. Because Dempster rarely had back to back awful games. But when Wuertz is bad, he's really bad and usually for a week at time.

Just because Alfonseca sucked, doesn't mean Gregg will. Gregg Home/Away splits also show that Dolphin Stadium had very little effect in his results. Also keep in mind Gregg was pretty good out of the pen for the Angels in 06, his overall era was just higher due to him starting 3 games. He had a 3.45 era in 62.2 IP while striking out 62 and walking 19. Over the last three seasons out of the pen, he has a 3.47 era, striking out 206 with teams hitting just 227 against him in 215 IP. I expect Gregg to have simliar numbers for the Cubs next year. Plus if Gregg isn't pitching in the 8th or 9th who will be then? Vizcaino? Gaudin? Guzman might be a good option if you can count on him staying healthy? Samardzija maybe, but then he can't start and thats big role for such a raw pitcher IMO. Lou wouldn't do this, but I wouldn't have a terrible problem with Wuertz as the closer and Marmol in the eighth inning/fireman role. I don't have a terrible problem with Gregg - I just wonder if Ceda didn't have more value than a decent ML reliever. Maybe not, but that's my only real problem with that move. Wuertz is just too inconsistent from season to season to count on in that role. It's not just Lou, remember Dusty had him sent to the minors in 2006 for simliar reasons. Wuertz just goes into terrible slumps were he can't throw a strike or get anybody out. Of course he can also be very good for weeks at a time. But it's hard to trust a reliever that inconsistent in a major role in the pen. In 07, Wuertz avoid those terrible slumps for the most part and had a Kevin Gregg like year. Personally I see Gregg as a harder to hit verison of Dempster. He will walk people like Dempster did, but teams only hitting in the low 200s off him. It will keep his era down as a reliever, unlike Dempster who teams hit 240-260 off him mixed with all the walks.

Plus the Cubs might need Gaudin to start or be a swing guy next year.

Nobody is ever a shoe-in to miss 70+ games when they don't have a current injury. You don't know how Bradley new work out plan will effect him. Also not playing CF and playing in a smaller ballpark could help him as well. Yes he missed that many games from 05-07, but doesn't mean he will this year. Plus I already pointed out to you that Hoffpauir=good last year, Johnson=as good or better then DeRosa against LH pitching. Were not going to lose nearly the production you might think in the outfield even if Bradley is hurt for 70+. Plus who knows if Hendry is done adding a bench players, he could sign a Eric Hinske type to battle Hoffpauir in spring training for all we no. It's only Jaunary 19th, and people are talking like tomorrows hoping day.

The problem with Cruz is the years, not the salary per season. He probably wants a 3 year deal at 5m per season at least. We all seen with Howry that a reliever can do a very good job for a few years and suck the last season, and make that contract seem pretty crappy. Plus the fact that he already kinda failed in Chicago, some don't believe he can handle the pressure. Thats if Fontenot doesn't put up quality numbers. Personally if Fontenot was playing everyday I think he might be a 740s-750s OPS guy. But playing mostly against RH pitching I think he will be a 820 plus type OPS hitter next year. The fact that Fontenot has hit very well in the minors, and at the big league level gives me confidence he will be just fine. People seriously need to stop with this DeRosa man crush stuff. Two years ago, you were probably the same people bashing Hendry for signing him and saying he had a 06 season. Let Hendry do his job and see how it works out.

Fontenot would get 240 or so AB's again, even if DeRosa had to play RF alot. Remember the only reason why Fontenot got so many AB's last year was because Soriano was out with a freak HBP injury. DeRosa had to have 184 AB's as an outfielder last year, because Soriano only played in 109 games. So even with Bradley around he was unlikely to get that many more AB's in the outfield. When you factor in what Hoffpauir hit in 73 AB's last year and how Reed Johnson crushes LH pitching. I really don't think losing DeRosa for the outfield is gonna hurt all that much. I think the bigger concern should be what if Fukudome is actually the second half 08 hitter all of the season next year? Then we gotta play Gathright or Reed everyday. But a combo of Johnson/Hoffpauir/Gathright can cover 50-60 games that Bradley misses just fine IMO. Thats if he misses that many games.