Cubswin11

I would like to sign Sheets assuming he checks out medically, we have Guzman/Marshall/Gaudin/Heilman to spot start for injuries and he should come considerably cheaper than Peavy, no prospects and lower contract years/money. Sheets is every bit as good as Peavy, the problem is he doesn't stay healthy for a full season.

That's what I fear happening as well, except it might be a whole Mcrib. I could also see us signing a Jason Jennings, Josh Fogg, Kip Wells type pitcher to a minor league deal and invite them to ST to compete for the 5th starter spot.

Just giving up Cedeno for Heilman would have been a good move to add depth, but throwing in Olson would leave us with little to no depth. Marshall would have to be in a deal now along with Hart, Stevens, Guzman (possibly), Ascanio, Archer or Wuertz and Vitters would probably be the only position player included.

What pitches does Heilman have?

Add to the fact that we are looking at adding Juan Freakin Uribe as our backup SS/3B/2B this offseason couldn't get any worse. Uribe sucks he has a .299 career OBP

Is the team low on batting practice balls and jock straps?

Theriot was bad at the beginning of the season when Lou was sending him every time he reached base, once Lou decided to let Theriot pick and choose his spots to steal he did it at a good rate. Soriano is still a very good base stealer he had 19 last year with leg issues and missing almost 55 games.

I like Fukudome/Johnson leadoff, Johnson has experience there and Fukudome can focus on making contact and working the count/BB instead of being a middle of the order bat. I don't know if I'd bat Lee second just because of his high amount of GIDP, I think I would prefer to see Fontenot/Theriot there and then whichever one of those two who don't bat second they can bat eighth. I am glad Soriano is at least making it known he will move out of the leadoff spot, even if he doesn't this year he is eventually going to have to move down in the lineup within the next few years as his speed continues to deteriorate. Moving down in the lineup should help him stay healthier as he won't be stealing/attemping as many bases.

I wouldn't say they lack depth across the board, they have really good depth in the OF and rotation/BP they are weak up the middle though. An OF/DH rotation consisting of Swisher, Nady, Matsui, Damon, Cabrera, Gardner will be an asset for them. They have some good young arms in the bullpen and if 1 or 2 of their starters get hurt/needs a break Hughes/Kennedy are good enough to get 10-15 starts between them, that it's not a major step down.

How many people could possibly be deciding on whether or not they renew/buy seasons tickets based on whether or not Peavy returns? Considering how much talk there has been of a Peavy trade, wouldn't the people most likely to ditch if Peavy is gone have already decided not to buy? Peavy isn't the only factor. The economy by itself is probably going to be a huge factor in what will likely be a huge dropoff in season ticket sales. I've been suggesting ever since the Padres opened up the ballpark downtown that they can no longer play the fire sale game they've played in the past. The ease of access to Qualcomm, the ability to tailgate, the cheaper ticket prices, etc... made it where people didn't mind going to a game as much at Qualcomm. Petco is a whole new ballgame. Difficulty in getting downtown for a game, no tailgaiting and higher ticket prices will not bring people out to see a horrible product on the field. Maybe season ticket sales won't depend on whether Peavy is a Padre or not. I'm just speculating. But, when your starting rotation is Chris Young and a whole bunch of guys Padres fans have never heard of, I think it can definitely hurt more than help. The Padres are already having issues selling tickets and Peavy is still on the team. They are projecting less than 2 million fans this year and season ticket sales are down close to 50% from last year. It's probably due to a combination of the economy and the Padres not fielding a competitive team last year/fans upset they haven't done more to improve the team. Peavy or no Peavy they won't be putting up good attendance numbers, as the fans are already angry with the organization and the only way to put fans in seats, in a bad economic climate, is to have a competitive team. With our without Peavy they won't win more than 70ish games. http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jan/17/1s17padres221147-season-ticket-sales-plunge/?uniontrib

Of course DePodesta is going to say that he needs to save face with the fans and not make it sound like they are just pawning off Peavy to whatever team they get an offer from. By saying they would only trade him for "significant" pieces it makes it sound like any trade that does go down the Padres are making a solid trade and get back a significant enough package to show the fanbase they got something decent.

Sucks for Joba. Overrated, but still pretty darned good. I don't understand the mystique surrounding Andy Pettite, he's an absolutely terrible decision for the Yankees. If I were a Yankees fan and this signing moves Joba to the bullpen I'd be livid. I don't think this move puts Joba in the Pen, the only way he is going there is if he can't stay healthy in the rotation. Hughes will probably get bumped to the bullpen to be their swingman or start in AAA until someone gets hurt. It also allows them to use Kennedy/Hughes as trade bait if they need to fill a hole during the season, 1 of those two along with some combination of Cabrera/Swisher/Nady/Jackson/Brackman/Jackson could probably get them just about anything they needed at the trade deadline.

What does the amount he paid have to do with his commitment to winning? Agreed. It just shows how ridiculous this article is. Hendry has basically painted the new owner into a corner on Peavy. Everybody in Chicago believes that the Cubs can get Peavy and all that Hendry is waiting for is the approval of the new owner. If Ricketts doesn't give the approval, he will get bashed endlessly for being a cheapskate, and the beginning of his tenure as the new owner will start off on the wrong foot. If he gives the green light to get Peavy, he starts off as a hero, serious about winning. Masterstroke on Hendry's part. I dont think any of this is Hendry's fault. He never went to the media the first time around, that was Tower's. He still isn't going to the media now. He pretty much did everything he was supposed to do as a GM. It would look much worse if he never made an effort for Peavy at all. I'm not assigning any blame on Hendry. Just saying, he has played this beautifully. If this deal doesn't get done it won't be any fault of his own. I agree how many "deadlines" did the Padres set to deal Peavy by? 273? First it was by the GM meetings, then winter meetings, then by new years, then it was ST, then they were going to keep him, then they would revisit talks at the deadline, then the Padres were getting new ownership and a Peavy deal would have to bring in significant pieces or something like that, then the Padres were going to talk to teams and work out a deal without consulting Peavy, then it was some arbitrary date in January the 15th? that has come and gone, and they are still clearly negotiating/lining things up for a trade. Hendry hasn't given into the fan/media/Padres FO pressure and deadlines and hasn't played into the Padres hands one bit. He has acquired some players the Padres had interest in when they were discussing a 3/4 team deal and now he can go to Towers and say hey I got some of the players we discussed, here is a list of guys that we can trade to you, pick x amount and lets talk.

You gotta think this guy has somewhat reliable sources, I don't think MLB.com would just let him post his opinion of the situation as fact.

Sheets just submitted a new medical report to teams. It's quite possible that there is serious concern, not just among the cubs, throughout baseball that there is something wrong with him or a good chance he might get hurt again. When a guy like Burnett (who Sheets had a better year than last year), and to a lesser extent Lowe, are getting the type of deals they got there is no reason Sheets shouldn't get a comparable deal, unless there is something wrong with him.

It's a MLB.com national reporter Barry Bloom. He pretty much says everything the Cubs have been doing this offseason has set up a trade for Peavy and that as soon as Ricketts gives the high sign Hendry will get it done. He makes it seem like a deal is in place it's just a matter of time until it goes through. He doesn't name any players involved but sounds confident a deal is in place/will get done.

I have not seen that, interesting. Sounds more like that guy is just speculating and doesn't really have any source...

What he said. If this was as much of a no brainer as it seems like, than Sheets would be signed by now. Yeah, if Lowe is getting nearly $50 mil. There is no reason Sheets shouldn't at least have an offer of 2@24 or 3@36. Garland, Wolf, Looper are all getting more interest than Sheets right now and Sheets left nut can pitch better than any of those guys.

http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2009/01/cubsrumors12509.php That's a pretty impressive package, that beats just about anything the Cubs can do without going crazy like a 6-1 or 7-2 deal. Even though it would suck to lose the depth in the rotation/bullpen I would prefer trading Marshall and Olson if it meant we could hold onto Vitters. We could then trade Cedeno/Wuertz for Heilman or sign a guy like Livan Hernandez, Kip Wells, Josh Fogg, Odalis Perez, or Chuck James to be the swingman.

In other words, he'll save the Cubs. :DDon't even joke about that. :blink: :shock: :cry: :swoon: :sorry: :no: :huh: :unsure:

I know errors aren't the end all be all, and there are certainly other things to take into consideration when determining if someone is/isn't a good fielder. But from 2001-2005 when Soriano was a full time 2B with NYY/TEX he had 19, 23, 19, 23 and 21 errors. When a guy is making that many errors it is pretty clear he is a below average fielder, and 2B is not like the OF where Soriano can make up for the misreads/bad jumps with an excellent arm. I really don't want to go down that road..

He has played 18 games at 3B since 2005, so I would say he likely isn't. Aurillia might be the guy then. He's capable of playing 1B/3B and in a pinch could play 2B/SS. He hit .283/.332/.413 and hit 10 HR playing half his games in San Fran last year, so he still has something left.

I wouldn't mind Aurillia or Millar for a reserve righthanded bench bat. Both are vets and we don't have many RH options off the bench so it would make some sense to sign one of those guys. I don't get the Uribe thing he's no better than Cedeno and will cost more, Cedeno at least has a little chance to get better. Uribe just flat out sucks, his career line is .253/.295/.423. :-& :nea: :swoon: :-# Also Millar hit 20 HR last year and walked 72 times, those aren't bad #'s his BA was only .234 though. His career BA is .277 but he hasn't been above .270 for the last two years. I think he would be a good fit for us, solid clubhouse guy, has a ring and seems like a disciplined hitter. Not to mention the entertainment we'd get with him and Dempster in the same clubhouse.

http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2009/01/cubsrumor012409.php I personally don't think that is a lot to give up. Vitters- Still at least 2-3 years away and not a sure thing, we are in a win now mode and by the time he could arrive we might not be a contender Olson- Likely a bullpen guy/spot starter at best with the Cubs this year, Marshall is better and would start the season in the rotation. Stevens- Good minor league numbers, but doesn't have overwhelming stuff and it might not translate to the majors. Bullpen guys are a dime a dozen. Hart- See Stevens Castillo- Blocked by Soto, probably 2-3 years away as well, wouldn't more than a backup with Soto around might as well trade him while he still has value/perceived potential to get better. Overall I think that's a fair trade it would suck giving up Vitters but you need to give up quality to get it. I agree that with Sheets still out there we should look into it, if he is willing to take 1@8-12 or 2@16-20 it might be smarter to sign him and keep the prospects. Sheets is just as good as Peavy. Also I found it interesting that bit about Cedeno for Heilman. Heilman wouldn't be a bad guy to add to the bullpen/spot start.

What happened to Tony Thomas this last year? He put up good numbers, in short season ball, after the 07 draft, but was bad last year after being touted as our 2B by 2010-2011. I think he is a good choice for a bounce back year, don't know if it would be considered a "break-out" year because of his expectations/projections going into last year. Also if Kyler Burke doesn't step-up/show improvement on offense this year would there be any consideration to converting him to a pitcher? He had below average numbers last year, certainly not anything thats going to move him up through the organization. He is still young, 20/21, so he has time to develop. But since he has such a great arm that is always referenced/talked about why not give him a look at being a pitcher. He was a pitcher in HS and could sit 88-90 getting up to 93, with a solid-average breaking ball.