don_kessinger_was_good

For good, bad or ugly: Mr. Preston Wilson, your table is now ready. That's a really dumb bit of speculation. If the Cubs didn't want him before, they SURE won't want him when there are better options available, and Wilson's sorry butt is another year older. Ridiculous. I'll take that bet right now.

Absolutely not. You do not avoid getting a quality CF by putting your faith in Patterson yet AGAIN, that would be gross malfeasance on the part of Jim Hendry. Baker and Hendry both need to call Patterson in their office and give him the Fredo treatment: "You are nothing to me now." I'm torn on whether to try and sign Damon, but Giles is a must-get. And, he can play CF for a year or so until Pie is hopefully ready. So the Cubs don't really NEED to specifically get a CF this offseason, IMO, if they do get Giles. They need to get another OF in general, via trade or FA. And that makes the job easier. For example... Milton Bradley will be available. Can Dusty calm him down? He's got talent. He would actually be a CF for us, at least until Pie. Tampa and Cincinnati have too many OF-ers, and both might finally be ready to move one of them in a trade. They know they need pitching, that's one thing we have. Jonny Gomes or Aubrey Huff? Adam Dunn or Austin Kearns or maybe Ryan Freel? Ryan Klesko is the kind of short-term solution Hendry might like, he's a better version of Burnitz. San Diego might be ready to turn over their OF if they lose Giles. The Mets also have an extra OF. It seems likely they'd stick with Victor Diaz given his youth. But Mike Cameron or Cliff Floyd? With Jeremy Hermida finally here, Florida has no room for Juan Encarnacion. Cleveland doesn't have room for Franklin Gutierrez, Coco Crisp, and Grady Sizemore all at once, do they? So there are options. You don't sit on Patterson and ignore better choices. He gone.

Yes, he can, but his ceiling is an MLB utility player. His OBP has been pretty good in the minors and he has good plate discipline. And apparently, I agree with Outshined on this topic. Trading/releasing a young player like Corey doesn't necessarily improve this team, especially considering the alternatives in CF. Man, talk about your tired Patterson excuses....he is NOT young. He's 26 yo, has played in parts of SIX big league seasons, and has over 2,000 big league ABs. Not only has he not realized his quasi-talent, not only has he not improved, but he has regressed to the point that he is one of the five worst hitters in all of baseball. THE GUY HAS A **LIFETIME** OBP UNDER .300, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! Do you have any reckoning of just how bad that is?? He's a 1st round bust. Face it. He's not the first the Cubs have had (not even close!), he won't be the last. He gets paid $3MM this year, how laughable is that? Yes, you dump him, he has no value because he STINKS. You don't hold up the organization waiting for snow to fall in Mexico. Save the $3MM and release him. I would much rather take that $3MM and put it in the "Sign Johnny Damon and Brian Giles and Rafael Furcal and BJ Ryan" fund.

:roll: :roll: Geez, give it up already. "They better get some top-notch players for him..." hehehe, that's a good one. Everyone in baseball is lined up for Patterson's services, you know it.

With $40MM to spend and his job on the line in 2006, Jim Hendry isn't dumb enough to rely on Colorado and San Francisco castoff Neifi Perez as his starting SS. He will (over)pay to get Rafael Furcal, and that is a good thing IMO. A nice leadoff hitter with speed and defense, a gun for an arm, can even turn on a ball occasionally. A much better option than Nomar: Furcal 2005 thru 9/8: Age: 27 (just turned two weeks ago) BA: .280 HR: 11 RBI: 51 SB: 39/46 Triples: 10 Hits: 149 K/BB: 68/53 OBP: .344 OPS: .769 Fielding pct: .982 (12 errors, 677 chances, 108 DP's) Furcal has been the leadoff hitter all year for Atlanta, and his numbers are exactly on track with his career performance, especially over the last 3 years since he became an everyday player. So it stands to reason that if healthy, this kind of performance could be expected over the course of his new contract as he hits the prime of his career. I want him. Move Cedeno over to 2B in winter ball (as is the plan), keep Hairston and Neifi FOR THE BENCH, and as backup in case Cedeno or Furcal falter or get hurt. Furcal will make roughly Nomar money. Dumping Walker for Cedeno frees up another $2.5MM to go back in the pot for the outfield and pitching staff. Brian Giles is a necessity, as is one of BJ Ryan or Billy Wagner. Either trade for a CF or go ahead and sign Damon, and this team's problems (other than the manager and coaching staff) would largely be solved.

Again--I'm all for dealing Walker, but in the offseason, when you can get more value for him. To trade him today for some low-level prospect that cannot help the Cubs in 2006, is stupid. No trade.

Burnitz played passably OK, his defense was better than expected and his run production will be about as expected. His BA is exactly as expected. The biggest disappointment with him is that he seemed to catch "Cubs disease" over here, with his BB rate down dramatically. As a result, his OBP is nearly 40 points below his career avg, and his OPS is nearly 100 points below where we needed it. JB was a stopgap, emergency pickup since the Cubs didn't move Sosa until the last minute, he was all that was left on the market. But there is no way, no how he returns for 2006. As a result, yes--I'd move him today (8/31) to a contender and see what prospect(s) you could get for him. Something is better than nothing.

Unless I'm mistaken, and unless there were cash considerations involved in this deal, the Cubs save roughly $200K in budget by dumping Mulletsworthless on the ATL. Not a lot, granted, but every little bit helps.

re: DLee...I love him. But what if you could trade him this offseason, straight up, for Johan Santana? Minnesota being a team desperate for offense. I know, it's a dumb scenario, as neither team would do it. But you've got a Triple Crown and Gold Glove type position player for a Cy Young pitcher, looks even to me. Plus, a good 1B is easier to find than a dominant pitcher. And, (as we saw in 2003 with the Cubs and Marlins, or Astros 04 and 05) dominant pitching > big hitting. And no doubt you'd be selling Lee at his top; as good as he is, and as much as we like him, he's unlikely to match a season like this again. There is precedent for such wild trades by the way. Many MANY years ago, the AL batting champ (Harvey Kuenn) was traded for the AL HR champ (Rocky Colavito). I guess my point is, our team is in such dire straights, all possibilities should be on the table. Just think--Santana, Zambrano, Prior, AJ Burnett, Wood. With any kind of bullpen and offense at all, who'd touch that team? Wow.

Thx Raisin...

Abuck, dude--Dusty is SOOO getting fired. Don't worry. It may not happen until the offseason, but this nitwit is gone. And I will get SOOO drunk that day, as if I needed an excuse with this team this year. No more Mulletsworth!!! (small victories)

Hey, I'm glad to see Ronny Cedeno was rewarded for his big game yesterday by grabbing some pine tonight in favor of Neifi Perez. Why won't MacPhail save us this frustration and just fire Baker's sorry butt? I mean honestly, this is too much.

And this is why Stone will never be a major league GM. As was mentioned, Cedeno is a SS, and his value is as a SS. That means you would be giving Furcal shortstop-type money to play 2B. There's really no point in overpaying for less production. I don't believe Stone suggested moving Furcal to 2B. It seems like something was lost in the translation. The idea is Furcal at SS and Cedeno at 2B. I could very happily live with that outcome, especially if the Cubs keep Hairston in reserve for the bench. Walker's money reduces Furcal's price tag by $2.75MM net (since Cedeno is league minimum), allowing even more money for addressing all three outfield positions, a starting pitcher, and two relievers.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone as stubborn as Dustbag on the issue of playing youngsters, but Leyland was no friend of the kids, either.

I think he will be much more flexible this offseason than last. His fragility has become a career-threatening issue and even a bit of a joke. Shoot, the Kansas City Star in its baseball section in this Sunday's paper, compared Nomar to a whiney Faberge egg. Apparently, Nomar's latest back pain episode is not playing well with many folks, who think Nomar's reputation for being a crybaby in Boston is perhaps too true. I'm just sayin'....I think he'd be wise to consider his options. It's hard to envision a contending team at least, willing to chance him at SS given what happened to the Cubs. 2B wouldn't be as hard on his body, I don't think anyone would dispute that.

Now who plays CF in that outfield? Giles has played quite a bit of CF in his career. I wouldn't put him there as my first choice, but you don't have to be a world class sprinter to be an effective CF (Jim Edmonds, cough cough). To the original poster, I think I'd almost rather have Jonny Gomes were I to get a Tampa outfielder than I would Huff.

I guess I don't see why the Walker issue, stay or go, necessitates a discussion of Alfonso Soriano? Soriano stinks, he is so overrated for a few HRs and SBs, and so expensive! Any player, regardless of position, that cannot comfortably top a 300 OBP is not a valuable piece to the puzzle. I think Walker is a legitimate possibility to be dumped because his defense is below average, he has no speed, and his intangibles are questionable (big mouth with the media, can't stay with one team, etc...) Yes, Walker can hit some, he is not the biggest problem on this team. And his contract is attractive. But given his perceived negatives, I think Nomar (if cheap) with Hairston in reserve sounds better. Nomar is a better hitter; Hairston is a better defender with better speed. And if the Cubs can sign Furcal for SS, there is nothing to suggest Ronny Cedeno couldn't be tried at 2B, either. The Mets were willing to move Jose Reyes to 2B, and he is a much higher ceiling guy than Cedeno, even though he has been moved back to SS this year. Point being, if the Cubs can get help elsewhere, and/or they feel Walker's negatives are something they no longer want to live with, there are options for the Cubs at 2B.

Wasn't Nolasco a teammate of Mitre's at Purdue, or am I thinking of someone else in our organization? Regardless, I like how both Nolasco and Pinto have bounced back this year at AA after struggling the first time they were promoted to AAA. I think both have ML futures, but need to show the organization they can succeed at AAA for an extended time before they can be considered legitimate contributors in Chicago. Both need to be protected on the 40-man, obviously, with hopes that in 2007 they will be ready.

I agree with you. He's very valuable as a trade chip, but I'm beginning to think that Hendry wants to go in another direction for 2B. He may be satisfied to go with Hairston, Cedeno or even Nomar. If he wants to make a deal, the guys I think Hendry is interested in trading for are: Soriano and Castillo. And, I do think that if LA makes Jeff Kent available that the Cubs have the cash to take his contract on for one season - kind of a Baker and Kent one year and done reunion. Aug. 31 is Wed - let's say if Hendrydeals him in the next 72 hours. You will get more for Walker in an offseason sign and trade than you will now, because this would be a waiver wire deal; all you'd get is some team's low-level prospect(s) not on their 40-man roster. I'd rather wait until November/December and get at least one decent player for Walker that can help the 2006 Cubs. A nice reliever would be good. A solid bench outfielder would also be acceptable.

The Cubs are not about to overpay for Barry Zito when the organization thinks--unwisely--they already have a baby version of him in Rich Hill. I am all for the Cubs getting a #2/#3 quality starter this offseason, in fact I think it is an absolute necessity. But Barry Zito won't be that guy. Beane won't move him, he needs ONE veteran guy, and the fans love him (not a trivial thing in Oakland). If you want to talk about a LH starting pitcher that I think could be had in the right deal, the names I come up with are CC Sabathia, Oliver Perez, Mike Maroth and Doug Davis. Most likely FA would be Jarrod Washburn. Of this group, I would most like Perez because he has electric stuff but has been hurt and had a bad year prior to the injury. Plus, he's a bit of a headcase, a volatile personality, and you never know but maybe that doesn't play well in the Pittsburgh front office. I like Sabathia, too.

The key with Giles is the contract length, because of his age. The money is a non-issue, the Cubs have deep pockets and more $$ to spend this coming year than any other team. Giles fits a need for us--badly--and the Cubs have little choice but to overpay for him. So long as it's a 3-year deal, perhaps with a 4th year option, I think you need to get him. The only other available free agent OF that could help this team as much is Damon, and I think he is a bigger contract risk than Giles. I'd rather get Furcal for leadoff than Damon, anyways. Now given all the money the Cubs have to spend, and how desperate are the straights this organization has fallen into, I wouldn't cry if the Cubs signed BOTH Damon and Giles, but they simply must sign one of them, and Giles is the smarter choice.

I'm not a Todd Walker fan, but his contract is desirable. I'd like to see the Cubs exercise their option so he is under their control at such an affordable price, then use him as a veteran trading chip to use in a package with a couple of youngsters in a winter trade. The free agent market is so weak this coming year, the Cubs will need to do some trades to get this team to an improved level. Youngsters are great, but you need to have some veterans to trade, too. I hope the Cubs sign Furcal, and then they have plenty of options for 2B besides Walker, anyways. You can bring back Nomar and see if he'll play there. You can let Cedeno have a shot; after all, the Mets weren't shy about putting Reyes at 2B for awhile, and he was a much better prospect than Cedeno. And you can bring back Hairston for 2B insurance in case nothing else works out, otherwise he is in the house to bolster the bench. Walker should be a sign and trade, IMO.

It is essential the Cubs fix their OF problem, so IMO, they must sign both Giles and Damon. It is essential the Cubs fix their bullpen problem, so IMO, they must sign BJ Ryan. It is essential the Cubs fix their starting pitching hole, since either Wood (most likely) or Prior will get hurt, so IMO, they must sign or trade for one more starting pitcher. It is essential the Cubs fix their dugout problem, so IMO, they fire the entire coaching staff. I do not bring back any of the Cubs' free agents to be, except for Dempster and Walker. I get rid of Patterson once and for all. I let Murton and Pie compete for a starting OF gig. Cedeno is my SS. Damon is my leadoff man. 1-Damon, CF (or LF if Pie) 2-Murton, LF (or Pie, CF) 3-Giles, RF 4-Lee, 1B 5-Ramirez, 3B 6-Barrett, C 7-Walker, 2B 8-Cedeno, SS Someone tell me what the heck is wrong with that lineup? I'd go to battle with that. For the bench, only Blanco is under contract. I might bring back Neifi, but only if the new manager promises not to play him over Cedeno. AAA's Fontenot is a fine replacement for Gremlin. I give Ben Grieve what was supposed to be Todd Hollandsworth's old job (LH pinch hitter off the bench). If Pie is a starter, Murton completes my bench; if Murton wins the job, I put Pie at AAA so he can play everyday and let Dave Kelton or some veteran FA complete my bench. I am hoping that one of David Aardsma, Jermaine Van Buren and/or Bobby Brownlie are ready to step up and help the Cubs in the bullpen. I see nothing that indicates promise from Leicester, Wellemeyer or Wuertz, I'd gladly move all three. I do think Rusch exercises his option and decides to stay. SP--Zambrano, Prior, Maddux, TBD FA/trade, Williams/Guzman RP--Rusch, Novoa, Ohman, Aardsma/JVB/Brownlie, Dempster, Ryan If Wood bounces on and off the DL as is likely, I put him in the pen and dump Ohman.

Sign: Giles, Damon, Furcal, Ryan, Burnett. Do not re-sign: Lawton, Patterson, Burnitz, Hollandsworth, Nomar, Neifi or Macias (pick one), Williamson. Re-sign: Dempster, Walker. Let Murton, Pie and any other pups fight amongst themselves for a starting OF gig, to play with Damon and Giles everyday. Cedeno is my SS. My gonzo bullpen is Wood, Dempster and Ryan. My rotation is Z, Prior, Burnett, Maddux and whoever wins amongst Hill, Williams and Guzman. I win 100+ games with this team.

:roll: :roll: Sure, tell Jim I said hi, too.