23sharks

Yeah, there is no way any GM in their right mind would trade for Garza over the winter. What you suggest here is probably the best case scenario for the Cubs. Garza comes out and shows he's healthy, pitches well, and they move him at the deadline.

Yes, you did list 10 guys. Of the bunch, Hamilton is elite. Bourn, Upton, and Swisher are very good, but are going to be expensive. You missed Delmon Young, who might belong in this group. From what I hear, Torii Hunter's choices are the Angels or bust. Teams interested in these guys arent likely to be swayed by Soriano's availability. As for the rest, Pagan, Victorino and Ross are all guys that if you're a contender in search for a decent OF bat, they'd be good, reasonably priced options. To a lesser extend, Hairston, though I still see him as more of a 4th OF. Cabrera is in a different class all together. The weak market could still press someone into giving him a 3+ year deal, though nothing close to the 5/60-75 he could have gotten. Then again, he could be looking at a 1 year deal because A. Nobody's willing to give him more or B. a gamble on himself ratherthan taking a longer deal at a lower base salary. Depending on the team, and their needs it's really not out of the question for someone to sign any one of these guys and trade for Soriano. I get [expletive] on for bringing up guys like Michael Taylor and Wade Davis, but these seem to be the types of reclamations that Epstein covets. Domonic Brown and Brian Matusz might not be too far from that catagory. If we could get a guy like that, plus 1-2 lottery tickets, it might be in our best interests to take it and run. Soriano isn't getting any younger, and it could be our last chance to get anything for him. Then again, if they decide that they want to win next year, I'm all for keeping him. IMHO if we keep Garza, and sign another SP as well as Upton, Young, or Swisher, we could very much contend. I also see Ian Stewart as a big X-factor. Do you really think the Cubs can contend if they sign just 1 starting pitcher and 1 of the hitters you mentioned?? I think they are more like 5 or 6 good players away from contending. I've seen enough of Ian Stewart to know that I don't need to see any more of him..... I really want to see 1 more year of Ian Stewart assuming that his wrist heals. The rotation of Garza, Shark, 1 of the FAs, Wood, Volstad/filler/reclamation/Vizcaino in a perfect but unrealistc world may not be 90s Braves, but it's as good as any in the division. As for the lineup, basically, it would be full of X Factors from top to bottom. 1. DeJesus or Jackson, 2. Castro 3. Rizzo 4. Soriano 5. Upton/Young/Cabrera 6. Castillo 7. Vitters or Stewart 8. Barney could be very good, very bad, or anywhere in between. We could certainly use a better 4 hitter, but I think they'd have a shot, though full of X Factors. And to be honest, if all we'd get for Soriano and Marmol, even with eating the bulk of their salaries is a handful of fringe prospects and big league filler, I'd much rather go with that lineup. If we're contending in July, you never know what will become available via trade. I wish I could be as optimistic as you, but I just don't see them being a whole lot better than this year. I'm concerned about the Garza injury, who knows how bad it really is. They may have lost their chance of getting a good return for him, but I was fine with extending him too, before the injury happened. I'm fine with letting Vitters and Stewart compete for the 3rd base job. Maybe we end up with a decent platoon. As for the X-Factors you mentioned, how many times does that work out? Not very many. Especially when you are counting on 3 or 4 of those situations to pan out.

Yes, you did list 10 guys. Of the bunch, Hamilton is elite. Bourn, Upton, and Swisher are very good, but are going to be expensive. You missed Delmon Young, who might belong in this group. From what I hear, Torii Hunter's choices are the Angels or bust. Teams interested in these guys arent likely to be swayed by Soriano's availability. As for the rest, Pagan, Victorino and Ross are all guys that if you're a contender in search for a decent OF bat, they'd be good, reasonably priced options. To a lesser extend, Hairston, though I still see him as more of a 4th OF. Cabrera is in a different class all together. The weak market could still press someone into giving him a 3+ year deal, though nothing close to the 5/60-75 he could have gotten. Then again, he could be looking at a 1 year deal because A. Nobody's willing to give him more or B. a gamble on himself ratherthan taking a longer deal at a lower base salary. Depending on the team, and their needs it's really not out of the question for someone to sign any one of these guys and trade for Soriano. I get [expletive] on for bringing up guys like Michael Taylor and Wade Davis, but these seem to be the types of reclamations that Epstein covets. Domonic Brown and Brian Matusz might not be too far from that catagory. If we could get a guy like that, plus 1-2 lottery tickets, it might be in our best interests to take it and run. Soriano isn't getting any younger, and it could be our last chance to get anything for him. Then again, if they decide that they want to win next year, I'm all for keeping him. IMHO if we keep Garza, and sign another SP as well as Upton, Young, or Swisher, we could very much contend. I also see Ian Stewart as a big X-factor. Do you really think the Cubs can contend if they sign just 1 starting pitcher and 1 of the hitters you mentioned?? I think they are more like 5 or 6 good players away from contending. I've seen enough of Ian Stewart to know that I don't need to see any more of him.....

There are teams that are interested in Soriano, the Giants were for sure, but it doesn't sound like he has any interest in waiving his NTC.

The Cubs signed Juan Carlos Paniagua in mid-July for $1.5 million, a signing that was notable not just for its value but because it marked Paniagua's third contract with an MLB organization. He signed with the Diamondbacks in 2009 and pitched in the Dominican Republic, only to have the contract voided by MLB because he signed the deal under an assumed identity, and then went through a similar issue after signing with the Yankees in 2011 due to fraudulent idenfitication papers. His listed date of birth, April 4th, 1990, is considered unconfirmed by MLB, but unless he's actually 30 years old, it doesn't really matter given how good his arm is. Jed Hoyer, Theo EpsteinKyle Terada/US PresswireJed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have been busy and effective on the prospect front. Paniagua made his second appearance for the Cubs (and thus second pro appearance in the U.S.) on Sunday night, facing five batters across two innings of work. He was at 92-94 mph in his first inning and 93-97 in the second, with the velocity about as effortless as you can imagine. His slider was above-average, 83-87, very sharp with some tilt but more vertical than horizontal break. His changeup was below-average at 79-80 and if he'd told the hitters it was coming via semaphore it wouldn't have been more obvious. He's listed at 6-foot-1, 175, and doesn't have a ton of projection remaining, not that you'd expect much more fastball in the future. He takes a very long stride to the plate and generates velocity more with his lower half than his upper half, which should increase his ability to stay healthy. Given his age and present stuff he'd be a candidate to go start next year in full-season ball, maybe even Daytona, although getting him used to handling a starter's workload every fifth day will also be a priority.

And that scares the hell out of me. see, this is what i'm talking about the preference around here was to aimlessly throw money at Ramirez, Pujols/Fielder, Wilson in some flaccid attempt to be a .500 team again in all the raging over our current plight, it's somehow been glossed over that the new FO inherited like three useful assets in the entire system; it's not their fault people had absurdly unrealistic expectations I can't see how anyone thought they would have a competitive team this year or next year. Theo has a lot of work to do overhauling the system. They've actually been a little better this year than I thought they'd be. My expectations were that they would be horrible this year and next, then hopefully we would start to see some of the younger guys produce the year after. Then I think you'll see Theo look to start adding guys via free agency.

My 1st game was at Wrigley vs the Pirates. My grandfather took me, he was a big Pirates fan. All I remember from the game was that the Cubs could not hit John Candelaria! The coolest thing was walking up the stairs, and looking out to the field and seeing how green everything was.

That's going to be the key to their season. If Tice can help make the O-Line respectable, they will have a great season.

That is definitely a great deal!!

My favorite athletes of this Olympics: Missy Franklin, Allyson Felix, All the USA Gymnastics Girls, Kerri and Misty, Bolt. Who knows if Bolt is clean or not, but I love watching that dude run.

Same here. I'm tired of their different interpretations on what's a strike and what isn't.

Good comparison. I definitely see him looking like Stairs and Kruk.

Is it possible to respect Tim's analysis as well as the analysis of those on the other side? Tim brings up very good points, so it's not just one of the usual doom and gloomers. I don't necessarily agree with the conclusion, but that doesn't mean that the analysis should be dismissed. Didn't say it shouldn't be dismissed; just annoyed by your declaration that everything in the thread is "depressing." It's just seemingly the umpteenth example of you posting without reading everything. I don't have to ready everything to find his analysis somewhat of a downer. Nobody, Tim included has said that Castro's doomed to follow in the footsteps of Corey Patterson, but still not the type of thing that you want to see in a thread that I didn't expect to see make it past a page before someone slapped a padlock on it. Tim brought up some very valid points that sparked some conversation. What do you think is so wrong about this thread??

I feel bad for him. The Tues game ended with him in the on deck circle, and I was almost relieved that he didn't get a chance to come up and K again......

Yeah, when I saw the proposed deal the other day where they were giving up both Bynum and Gasol, I thought that would be too much. Getting Howard for just Bynum is a steal. Kupchak has to have blackmail pics of all the other GM's.....I don't get how the Lakers are able to keep ripping teams off like this....

Largely unchanged. I was hoping his walk rate would improve quite a bit this year, especially since Theo and Co preach OBP like they do. He's definitely a free swinger, and I don't know if that is ever going to change much.

LOL. Yeah, it certainly appears that way.

Tim, people are going to see what they want to see, even when you point out facts like this.....I made a comment about Castro not showing any improvement at all in his patience, and had people jump on me for it. Whatever. I wouldn't say it's been a disaster, but it is definitely a concern, which is what I tried to point out as well. BTW, I'm not a Starlin basher...I actually like him a lot and hope he continues to develop.

Like John Kruk said: I'm not an athlete, I'm a baseball player.... That's changed, and there is definitely more focus on fitness/nutrition now. He's still young, and he can certainly improve in this area. I'm sure the team will address this, if they haven't already.

He bet everybody sitting by him, so that was probably 20 bucks 10-15 times over. That's a pretty good haul. Easy money Goony. :)

Has it been reported at all that they have tried to get him to change his approach to have more patience/see more pitches? And now he's just entirely messed up. He still has zero patience. He came up right after a walk tonight and I told everyone sitting by me that I'd bet them $20 that he swings at the first pitch. He does, and flies out to CF. So predictable. Like Truffle said, I'm very concerned about his lack of progression this season.

You weren't holding a sign that said "Came all the way from Iowa" were you? No, we didn't have a sign. There was a couple near us that had a pink just married sign. LOL. I was telling my daughters how frustrating it is when your goal is just hoping your team can score a run. Not fun to go to a game and watch them get shutout. Jackson looked completely lost. Way late on any fastball, and a mile ahead on any breaking ball. I think he fouled off maybe 2 pitches all night. The play Vitters made at 3rd was highlight reel material, but that was pretty much it for him. The ball does not carry worth a [expletive] in that ballpark!!!! Rizzo crushed one to deep C that just died. The Padres hit 3 or 4 balls that would have gone out of most ballparks. We sat on the 1st base side last night, on the 3rd base side tonight. Hoping for a better result.....

Definitely. I know Mission Valley is more central to all of San Diego County than Petco but you just can't beat a waterfront stadium if you're building a stadium in San Diego. By the by, Dodger Stadium is a dump. I remember you saying Dodger Stadium was horrible. Have heard that from quite a few people. Almost went last year but our plans changed. Kind of glad I didn't go there.

I believe most teams stay at the Marriott on Harbor. Are you staying at the Omni? I've only been to 7 ballparks (Angel Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Qualcomm, Petco, Wrigley, old Comiskey, old Yankee Stadium) so I don't have some exhaustive list to compare with but Petco is definitely my favorite. Enjoy! I'm staying at the Hard Rock. The Omni is right across the street, and I thought that's where they may be. Yeah, Petco is a really nice park. Was cool to go check out all the behind the scenes stuff. There is an area where the high dollar season ticket holders can eat, and the Padres batting cage is through the window right next to you.

Went to San Diego with my dad in 2003 to see a 3-game series. Got to see Wood, Zambrano, and Prior (who was coming off the DL after the Giles collision) 3-game sweep, great times. Hope you have the same. You definitely got to see them at the right time!! Too bad we don't have 3 young pitchers like that now. :(