don_kessinger_was_good

Though it would be nice, we do not necessarily need our high OBP and 3 hitter (assuming Lee is 4 and Ramirez is 5) to come from RF. Unless we ask, how do we know if Alex Rodriguez really MIGHT be available in the right trade package? That Manny Ramirez really MIGHT approve a trade to Chicago? Etc... Other options like these will be more costly, and not my first choice, but one thing we have this offseason is plenty of cash and excess pitching in the high minors. Jim Hendry needs to use both, and wisely, or he'll be out of a job at this time next year. And he knows it. I like Giles as the quick and easy way to solve one of our problems, but he's not the ONLY way to get it done. As pessimistic as I always am, I'm not ready to declare the Cubs' ability to fix their holes as over, if Giles is off the board. Just harder. And yes, I really feared he could go to St Louis instead, so in a sense having him re-sign with San Diego isn't so bad. St Louis has some money this offseason too, but they do not have the prospect base that we do to facilitate many big trades. If they get shut out of the free agent market, IMO, it will be hard for St Louis to improve their team much for 2006. For once.

Let me know how many seasons Hairston has posted 200 hits, or stole over 45 bases, or posted an OBP over 360, or struck out less than once every 15 times at bat (and roughly every 16 PAs)--OK?? What is the total on Hairston? Thought so. I'm going to guess you didn't read any of the responses that followed this post. Hairston when healthy has been Pierre's equal. If Pierre is so great, why don't we hear people saying "Hairston would be a great leadoff hitter if he was healthy" like we do with Wood, or Nomar?, etc. JHJ has not been Pierre's "equal", by any reasonable metric. Name me a player in the big leagues that strikes out less frequently than Pierre. Hint--it'll only take one hand, and JHJ will not be on one of those fingers. Runs created. VARP. Stolen base percentage. Runs scored. OBP. Defensive efficiency. I bore myself with actual data. Hairston--competent bench utility player. Pierre--bona fide leadoff guy that CONTRIBUTES to his team's success. Had an off-year in 2005. I'm ready to buy low instead of buy high for once. But then, I remember folks here calling Pat the Bat washed up at this time last year. Pierre solves a need for us. There are other options that also fill that need. Arguably, some might be better options (eg, Milton Bradley or a one-year deal to Kenny Lofton). Myself, I think Pierre works just fine, solves a problem, allows us to move on to other issues (and there are many). Plus, I like the upside with Pierre, why doesn't anyone acknowledge this? He's posted monster seasons before. One time is a fluke. Three times at age 28 is not. If he gives the Cubs another 200 hit, 350+ OBP, 50+ SB, 100+ runs scored, <35 K season, I don't care WHAT Patterson and Hill do elsewhere. They can't conceivably fill as great a need for this team, even if their unproven talents BOTH decide to come to fruition simultaneously in 2006. I jump on Hill + Patterson for Pierre and don't look back. Substitute a lower pitching prospect for Hill, like Ryu or Aardsma, then even better. But I do Hill + Corey.

Let me know how many seasons Hairston has posted 200 hits, or stole over 45 bases, or posted an OBP over 360, or struck out less than once every 15 times at bat (and roughly every 16 PAs)--OK?? What is the total on Hairston? Thought so.

If you knew for certain you'd get Glendon Rusch's Cub performance 2004-05 as a starter only, the same results in 2006 and 07, then of course I'd be bring him back. Problem is that he's just as likely to regress badly, to as bad as his Milwaukee form. You go out and get Jarrod Washburn, he's a more predictable version of Rusch in exchange for a lot more money. Which the Cubs have. Myself, if I can't sign Millwood, I'd just as soon pass on ALL the free agent starting pitchers, and look to trade ideas instead.

Ryan Howard is not being moved to the outfield, there is zero probability of that--because it's already been tried. And discussed at length in the Philly press. Howard is completely incapable of playing the OF, he was a disaster out there, he is another David Ortiz. He hits a ton, but he can only play 1B, and he's not very good at that even. Frankly, I know Philly loves him, he's young and he's cheap, but his future is in the AL. They should sell high and move him this offseason for pitching help, and since they're stuck with Thome's contract anyway, put him back at 1B for now. What if you could trade Howard to Anaheim for Ervin Santana and Scott Shields? Or to Minnesota for Justin Morneau (who CAN play the OF) and JC Romero? These are the kind of things the Phillies should be thinking about, especially if they are committed to re-signing Billy Wagner. I don't think Abreu is going anywhere.

They're a place that has a lot of running jokes and gimmicks. Hoops occasionally writes in to some columns and gets his trade ideas published every now and again, and this is a website dedicated to openly mocking most Chicago sports columnists, so yeah. No, Hoops gets no respect at Desipio because he throws a jillion [expletive]-a-mamie trade ideas out there, none of which are any different than the trade ideas you and I pass around with our buddies over a beer, and this site treats them as if they somehow are "inside dirt" about pending deals. Who has "player X getting traded for player Y" on their radar, are you kidding me? If you make a long-enough list, eventually one of those things will happen, especially if X or Y has been talked about in X or Y's hometown press, or in the national rumor sites like rotoworld. You want "inside dirt"? Get Jim Hendry or another of the league GM's to post here. Otherwise, it's all just rumor and random thoughts. And there's nothing wrong with that, in fact it's fun--so long as such things are kept in context. When they are treated otherwise, then they are open to ridicule and contempt.

Johjima please. Use a Barrett + Walker package to get us some pitching help.

I like the Branyan for bench option a lot. I definitely keep Hairston, bring up Fontenot, and dump Macias and Neifury like a bad habit. Cedeno is a starter on my team, not a reserve. With Blanco as reserve catcher, I need two reserve outfielders (assuming we go back to a sane 11-man staff again), one of whom is preferably a pinch hitting specialist, the other a defensive specialist with speed. I'm thinking for the latter, I let Adam Greenberg and Dwaine Bacon fight it out in Arizona for that job, and thus fill it internally. But the pinch hitting specialist? I dunno, who's out there.....

Walker is another "close, but no cigar" guy. You can't give him serious consideration when guys like Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy and Bill Buckner aren't in the HOF, and almost surely never will. The batting titles are nice, but Bill Madlock has four of them, and he's not getting in the HOF. And neither will Walker.

With nearly 22MM in the NYC metropolitan area, you could add a 3rd ML team to the city--as they had for many years of course--and at over 7MM pops per team, the NYC teams would STILL be the largest market per team, just edging out LA (13MM people, 2 teams). If you added a 3rd team to LA or Chicago (9MM pops, 2 teams), those cities markets per team would still rank in the upper half of all ML markets. If I'm adding teams via expansion, I'd add them in NYC and LA before I considered markets like Portland, Las Vegas or Indianapolis. I'm just sayin'...

Felix Pie will be the player everyone wished (wishes) Corey Patterson would become. He gonna be good.

No way on expansion. All you need do is get one of the NL teams to agree to move to the AL. Even the leagues at 15 teams each. Then three divisions each of 5 teams each. You play each team outside your division 9 times a season, for 90 games. You play each team in your division 18 times, for 72 games. 90+72=162. Kill the interleague circus. Keep the wild card. That would be my plan. I'd ask Colorado or Washington to volunteer for the NL to AL switch.

Patterson stinks. Get over it. I mean honestly, why not aim for something good for once, you know? Instead, some here would be preening for Patterson after five MORE years of ineptitude, I just don't get it. Let's. Move. On.

If you put together the right trade package, any of Ramirez, Dunn, Jones, Burrell, Jenkins, Abreu, Floyd or Winn from your list above are obtainable. Plus the free agent Brian Giles of course.

Murton has nothing to prove to me. If I'm the GM, he's my 2006 LF, end of story, I move on to more pressing matters like SP, bullpen, RF, CF and middle infield. We have a lot of holes.

If Youkilis is so great, why has Boston had him on ice for 3 years now? C'mon...he can't beat out ex-Cubs Bill Mueller or Mark Bellhorn, but somehow he's so valuable you wouldn't trade him for Brady Clark or Lyle Overbay? Ridiculous. He's an "OBP machine", terrific--in the minor leagues. Mark Bellhorn was an "OBP machine" too, ask him how that gig is working out. You think including Papelbon is over the top, OK, I can maybe see that. But keep in mind Clark and Overbay have established major league numbers, regardless of whether you think they are "overrated" or not, while all three of Papelbon, Youkilis and Ramirez are still prospects, albeit good ones. In general, you have to trade more in prospects to get proven major league production, you'll have to give me examples where that is NOT the case.

Back to the original principals first posed....a Boston/Milwaukee deal makes a lot of sense for both teams. Brady Clark and Lyle Overbay to Boston for Jonathan Papelbon, Kevin Youkilis and Hanley Ramirez. You can't hang on to Youkilis and Ramirez forever if you're never going to play them, and with Ramirez at least, he doesn't play when Edgar Renteria is making $10MM/year. Youkilis might be the 3B for 2006 for Boston as of now, but you have to move talent to get talent, and Overbay is someone they could desperately use to replace the awful Kevin Millar. With Youkilis on board, the Brewers could then easily make Hall available for more pitching help. Package him with JJ Hardy (Ramirez > Hardy) and the Brewers could get themselves some very nice pitching. Looking 2 to 3 years down the road, I fear Milwaukee.

1. Brian Giles 2. Kevin Millwood 3. Scott Linebrink These should be the Cubs' priorities. Any of Lofton, Pierre or Bradley would be fine for CF. You can let the Furcal, Cedeno, Walker, Nomar, Lugo et al. merry-go-round work out however. But the Cubs need that high OBP RF bat, they need that 200+ IP starting pitcher workhorse, and they need that shut-em-down 8th inning man. Period.

Just send Walker to LA for Bradley and be done with them. I'd rather spend some of this "$22MM" on Kevin Millwood outright, and keep all our prospects, then waste time with Derek Lowe. Luis Castillo is an expensive, aging popgun bat with drastically reduced speed, who makes millions. No thanks. I'll just sign Furcal and move Cedeno to 2nd. Overall, I'm up several millions of dollars on this thread, and I keep all of my prospects. I have Bradley and Furcal for the top of my order, and Millwood in my rotation. Works for me.

The "problem" stems from an allegation that Lowe (who is married) has been having an affair with a Dodgers beat reporter, which has caused some awkward moments in that clubhouse. That's what I have been told. Gee, that's a real news flash. Next up--sun rises, sets, film at 11.

The Cubs have some guys they're going to risk loosing in the rule 5 draft if they don't make any room on their 40 man roster...especially if they make a run at a couple of FAs like Furcal, Giles, Howry, Saenz, etc...I'm guessing they're trying to showcase him so they can use him as a trading chip. I hope he keeps his AFL streak up and raises his value. If he does well in the AFL, I'd be willing to be he probably gets traded this offseason. A lefty that can occasionally get guys out can always find work in the big leagues. Koronka could likely make Kansas City or Pittsburgh's rotation right now, though granted that's not saying a lot.

Kerry Wood: 174 lifetime starts, 11 lifetime complete games. Mark Prior: 97 lifetime starts, 5 lifetime complete games. Carlos Zambrano: 113 lifetime starts, 6 lifetime complete games. 2005-- Garland + Buerhle + Garcia + Contreras = 9 regular season complete games, plus the playoffs. I'm just sayin'........

Just awful. We are so flipping pathetic. Our last pennant? 1945. Now, no one else is even close. And if the Sox win the series....

He can produce well above average for LF. A sub-800 OPS is not well above average. Well above average for a corner OF is an OPS over 900, a number Nomar has not been able to come close to reaching since his salad days of 1998-2000 with Boston. Put a fork in him.

Adding A-Rod in the Wood + Williams scenario necessitates signing Millwood too, because we'd need a starter. I advocate signing Millwood regardless of other moves the Cubs make--shoot, we have over $40MM in new money to spend, we can afford it. But moving Wood and Williams would require it. I'm not comfortable giving a rotation spot to Rich Hill, I think he's a flash in the pan with that gimmick curve ball.