Outshined_One

The part that'll have Juan Pierre, Cedeno/Perez, and possibly Jacque Jones (if he returns to his career line) dragging everyone else down.

I'm thinking Mark Rogers, despite his issues thus far, would receive consideration. The position players, on the other hand, are rather cringe-worthy, overall.

I hope the guy succeeds as a Cub and wish him no ill will as a person. Believe me, I want Jim Hendry to prove us wrong with this trade. However, all indications so far point to the negative.

So I see the Cubs went back to normality tonight. Good for them.

It depends on a couple of things, though. If you could pick either player in retrospect, then for certain you'd take the .300/.350 guy over the .280/.350 guy; especially since the .300/.350 guy is much more likely to have a higher SLG than the .280/.350 guy. However, if you look a bit deeper into the numbers, there is something to be said for plate discipline and the ability to repeat numbers. While some guys have a bit easier time repeating batting average than others, the numbers tend to fluctuate year in, year out. However, IsoD and plate discipline are much easier to repeat and erode much less with time. In other words, the .280/.350 guy is much more likely to be more valuable and productive in the future than the .300/.350 guy. The .280/.350 guy is much more likely to have a clue at the plate than the .300/.350 guy.

Ratings are down pretty badly from previous seasons. Advertising revenue is going to tighten up if they don't have enough people watching the games. And yes, that could have a noticeable effect on the team's budget. On a slightly related tangent, aren't we third or fourth in NL payroll? I know the Astros and Mutts are towards the top, but I'd have to imagine the Dodgers are somewhere in there.

The gameplan I think for the next few years is as follows: 1) OBP is valued...but there is an important caveat in this. The team values batting average very highly; moreso than OBP. If given the choice between a guy who hits .280/.350 and a guy who hits .300/.350, I think the Cubs would take the .300/.350 guy without even thinking twice. As Jim Hendry said in his interview a few weeks ago, this organization clearly believes that high batting averages correlate with high OBPs. 2) Infield defense is critical. Zambrano, Prior, Marshall, Marmol, Guzman, and other pitchers in this organization are primarily ground ball pitchers, so clearly they need good defenders across the infield in order to proper handle these balls and not give the other team a number of extra outs. 3) I think up until this year, Hendry was relying on the fact that Prior's and Wood's injuries were either flukes or were not very serious. Both guys were expected to come back much earlier than they did this season and in previous seasons, but that has clearly not been the case. I think if Hendry realized the folly of relying too heavily on those guys, he would have gone out and acquired another starting pitcher. 4) Speed can make up for the lack of power. Fast guys are able to beat out infield hits, steal bases, get into scoring position, and leg out hits for extra bases. Any dropoff in power they might have is made up for by their ability to use their speed as a weapon on the basepaths. 5) The bullpen is hard to rely on day in, day out. So, starters who can consistently pitch 6-7 innings every time out will be most welcome. Carlos Zambrano exemplifies this since the Cubs have been able to throw him out there for 140 pitches with little ill effect (yet). This is a similar philosophy which was utilized with Wood and Prior in 2003. We saw how that ended. However, I think they're still clinging to this notion and prefer to wear out the rotation rather than the bullpen. 6) Chemistry matters. Dusty runs a loose clubhouse without much in the way of rules, exercising, warming up, and so on. Veterans who don't need coaching are left alone to do their own thing and work out their problems on their own. Guys who are headcases and/or have been hostile towards the media and fans are seen as clubhouse headaches who are not worth the effort. Happy players produce. 7) Strikeouts are best avoided with hitters. Walks are okay, but it's preferable to get a single rather than take a walk. Putting the ball in play advances runners and also increases the probability of the defense making a mistake of some sort. Strikeouts do nothing for the team. They can kill rallies, don't advance any baserunners, and generally have no offensive productivity. Whether or not you agree with any or all of these, I think this is the case for the team.

He's a FA after the season, as memory serves me. Given that the Dodgers were able to acquire him, he definitely was available. Also, now that I think about it, I find it rather funny the D-Rays went out and picked up another terrific hitter & athlete who has trouble playing SS and has no real position right now. I'm sure BJ Upton was thrilled with this deal.

I'm more concerned with Murton than Cedeno when it comes to what players this organization has given up on. The fact that Phil Nevin received plenty of playing time since his acquisition while Murton's time on the field gradually decreased at first signalled a possible trade to me. However, unless a waiver deal is in the works, that does not seem to be the case. I like Murton quite a bit and hope he can put together a solid August and September to make a case for a starting job next year. However, I have to wonder if that will be the case...

It's possible, but it also depends on how willing Lugo would be to play 2B.

Nah, usually the guy has to fly into Chicago, get a uniform, get a locker, get settled, and so on. That'll take more than four hours to do. We'll probably see him tomorrow.

Are we talking about possible names on the market prior to the trade deadline or overall in baseball? well.. both..I am trying to be realistic. There was no chance that the O's would have even talked to the Cubs about Tejada. And overall in baseball..... well as I said... I would rather have Mr. Furcal but that wont happen any time soon. So you were discussing realistically available names and not guys like A-Rod, Jeter, BJ Upton, and so on, correct? I would make a case for Julio Lugo over Izturis, in that case.

Okay, I've gotten most of my frustration with this deal out of my system. I'm going to take it easy for the restof the day and tone it down. I went on enough of a rampage to leave a nice wake of destructionand pissed off people who likely blocked me or will be sending me nice PMs regarding my behavior on this board. To those people, I say mea culpa. This deal pretty much pushed me over the edge. It wasn't anything personal against any of you, but it was more that I've been needing to vent about this team for awhile now.

It's sad to see them go like this. Both were classy guys during their time here. Walker had some issues with the front office and management, but he was always respectful and friendly with the fans. Despite spending his prime in Atlanta, it was nice to see Maddux get one last shot with the Cubs in an attempt to make it back to the playoffs. Things didn't exactly go as planned, but I will always fondly remember both.

Are we talking about possible names on the market prior to the trade deadline or overall in baseball?

*Cracks whip* Back to Rants with you! :P

I'm not the only one who finds most scouting reports really creepy, am I? "GOOD, FLUID HIPS. RIPPLING BICEPS! HANDLES BAT FIRLMLY, YET GENTLY. SURPRISINGLY SOFT HANDS."

We won't know what this offense will look like in 2007 until the 2006 World Series is decided. After that, expect a cheap and poorly made knockoff of the team who won it.

Hawkins to the Giants for Williams and Aardsma was what I was referring to. I think that's the only sell Hendry actually pulled off well during his time with this team.

Wait, wait... Are you saying the Cubs are picking up Izturis' option in 2008 as part of this deal?

By God, you're right! John Schuerholtz, Bill Stoneman, they don't give a rats' ass for stats! They just go out there and acquire players who just look good dag nabbit! Any time they see a computer, they get the urge to pull out a Louisville Slugger and tee off on it because computers are the devil! Stats LIE to people! They are a horrible evil that should be wiped from the planet. I don't care if stats tell me that Neifi Perez is one of the most worthless hitters in the history of baseball, by God, HE LOOKS LIKE A BASEBALL PLAYER! He has to be great! Who gives a crap about walks? Only sissies and women take the damn things. Real men swing at every pitch they think they can hit, no matter how far out of the zone it is! Arthritis? Pft, Izturis can get over that. Arthritis is a temporary thing; thats' what my gut tells me! Enough with the shenanigans, here's my bottom line. This organization hasn't won anything of value in nearly 100 years. It's been over 60 years since they even made it to the friggin' World Series. I know they've almost made it on a few occasions, but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. This organization celebrates when the team posts back to back winning seasons. That's not a good thing; that's an absolute disgrace. Hendry has made a few good moves in the past (Nomar, Hawkins, Ramirez), but it's clear the direction this organization is moving is a terrible one. This team has a $100m payroll and yet they're only ahead of the D-Rays, Royals, and Pirates in terms of record? They're seriously among the worst in the league in runs scored and in various pitching categories; is this a joke? I've had enough of the way the front office thinks. They think OBP is only important, but that guys who have high averages are preferable because they simply MUST have good OBPs! They don't preach good plate discipline and they have an incompetent coaching staff in the majors. Why the hell do you think it's been so long since this organization actually turned out a competent position player? Enough already with the dinosaur way of thinking; it doesn't work. This team won't go anywhere if it continues being stubborn in its line of thinking.

Peter Angelos turned down the following deals for Tejada: Ervin Santana & Willy Aybar Roy Oswalt, Brad Lidge, and Adam Everett (I believe the Orioles would throw in a prospect or two in this deal) Along with the rumored Prior/Cedeno deals before we all found out that some one took Prior out of his bubble wrap a few weeks too early. If the Orioles won't accept those deals, would it really be a good idea to go after Tejada considering what Angelos likely would want?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... My bad, I started hitting the bottle the moment I saw this trade go down.

"No no! Wait! I said 'vacuum'"!

Fixed.