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TheDude

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Everything posted by TheDude

  1. TheDude
    Matsui needs a mid or small market at this point to develop his skills under the radar. He doesn't need the pitch-by-pitch microscopic scrutiny a large market brings. So I do no not see Chicago northside as any better a fit for him than NY from the player perspective. Also, Matsui is neither a better alternative than Cedeno or Walker (the current in-house options) nor current trade possibilities (Castillo). So from the Cubs perspective he also isn't a fit. [edited for sentence clarity]
  2. TheDude
    No he isn't. But Hendry is a GM who has shown he wants a lefty in the rotation even over a more promising right-hander. So it isn't clear. However, even knowing Hendry's preference doesn't pencil in Rusch as a starter, because Rusch has shown value as a swing-man in the past and that is his defined role already.
  3. TheDude
    The answer to your question is twofold, Hendry overvalues mediocrity and lefthandedness. But I don't think the Eyre signing made Rusch redundant. Eyre is a loogy/middle reliever. Rusch is a swingman. They are very different pitchers. Signing Rusch so quickly seemed completely foolish and unneccesary to me, it's not like he was a risk to sign elsewhere in a hurry. And it's not like he was irreplacable. The only explanation is that he wanted to lock-in his supply of arms so he can be positioned to trade others. I think it has more to do with the fact that Hendry wants more than 5 starters. I do not believe the answer to be any more complicated than that.
  4. TheDude
    I wouldn't make the assumption about trading an arm. Hendry has been quoted more than once this offseason of saying he doesn't mind having 7 starting pitchers on the team going into the season.
  5. TheDude
    So now Giles is a stop-gap? I have no doubt that Hendry's plan was to build around the young guys that are here now. But at some point in time when building, you have to put the roof on. Lee, Ramirez and (especially) Barrett is not enough. It's not a matter of building around Giles, it's a matter of filling out the rest of the lineup with the best possible candidate. I didn't say Giles was a stop-gap. I said Hendry doesn't have a history of signing older players who are more than a stop-gap. I just do not see him handing a 4 year contract (which IMO is what it takes) to a 35 year old RF. I am not anti-Giles. He is my first choice just like everybody else. I am simply saying that, in answering the thread's initial question, Hendry likely is using age and length of contract as reasons not to declare Giles as the prime target for the offseason. I form that opinion based upon his past decisions/moves, as we discussed.
  6. TheDude
    What evidence do you have to back that claim up? Hendry loves old ballplayers. He was, by all accounts, behind the Alou and Remlinger signings, he went hard after Maddux. He obviously likes older bench players, choosing to guarantee mediocrity rather than risk failure in the pursuit of greatness. Show me a longterm contract Hendry worked out with a player 35 years old or older. Greg Maddux and Mike Remlinger. So that's two guys for Hendry's tenure. Both pitchers, who typically play the game longer than position players. And both of them received 3 year contracts maximum with full vesting. That isn't exactly a history of offering 3-4 year contracts to aging playing in my book. Meanwhile, on the contrary, Hendry did go after Lee at 28, Ramirez at 24, and Barret at 27 as long-term solutions. It seems pretty clear to me that if Hendry has a preference for mid-twenties guys he can lock-up to build around more than 35+ guys that are anything more than stop-gaps.
  7. TheDude
    What evidence do you have to back that claim up? Hendry loves old ballplayers. He was, by all accounts, behind the Alou and Remlinger signings, he went hard after Maddux. He obviously likes older bench players, choosing to guarantee mediocrity rather than risk failure in the pursuit of greatness. Show me a longterm contract Hendry worked out with a position player 35 years old or older. [edit - veteran bench players are different, as they have limited playing time.]
  8. TheDude
    Did this need a new thread? There is already one or more threads for each of these guys.
  9. TheDude
    I think the fact he'll be 38, maybe 39 at the end of the contract is a big part of the problem for Hendry. He definately has an aversion to the aged player, preferring to play the odds and ignore the exceptions.
  10. TheDude
    There has been speculation that Aramis doesn't have the best stretching/conditioning routines that lead to the nagging injuries.
  11. TheDude
    The best stat for this scenario would be win-shares, but those don't come out for season end until after the votes are in. So it's still not about stats. It's about voters opinions which are easily swayed by media and hype.
  12. TheDude
    How do you justify that statement? It's not complicated. Where do the Braves finish without Jones playing everyday? Where do the Cubs finish without Lee playing everyday? The Cubs stunk. The Braves were pretty good. And the difference between making the playoffs and missing them is far more important to the MVP award than the difference sucking and Royals-ly sucking. The MVP is not an individual stats award* in principle. It is about leading a team to a winning season and whether people like it or not, a team's win percentage and ability to make the playoffs factors heavily into this award because the voters make it so. It is what it is. From the voters' perspectives, an MVP must be be the leader that carries the team to the playoffs. Do I personally think Jones is as good as Lee? Absolutely not. I'd take Lee every day of the week and twice on Tuesdays in a pick-up or fantasy game. Lee wins the Fantasy Player of the Year. There's no doubt about that. *The exceptions usually come when the stats are so overwhelmingly undeniable and dominant over the nearest competitor. In Lee's case, his numbers don't dominate Pujols and he was perceived to lead an injury-riddled team to the playoffs (just like Jones).
  13. TheDude
    At least it shows Neifi starting is not plan 'B'.
  14. TheDude
    You mean Johnny, right? No, I'm pretty sure he means Giles. Both are discussed in the thread. Damon lives in Orlando anyway.
  15. TheDude
    That's not what journalists do. The Cubs management doesn't answer to journalists.
  16. TheDude
    I hate to say it....but AJ will end up in Seattle. Toronto doesn't have the resources to sign Burnett. So i see Tor signing a decent bat, instead. I think you should re-evaluate Toronto. They have lots of money to spend this offseason.
  17. TheDude
    Lee wasn't going to win this award. The MVP isn't the best player award and this is a known element. Jones did deserve to be 2nd, possibly 1st because this award doesn't go the highest statted player. It goes to player that drives his team to success. Jones was more important to his team than Lee to the Cubs. Jones was arguably more important to his team than Pujols.
  18. TheDude
    I'm still a firm believer Burnett ends up in Toronto. The way that team can compete in AL East is to build a team around pitching. With Halladay at the front, and Burnett plus the young starters they have, they might end up with the best pitching in that division. I also think he will not be signed until after the Arbitration deadline.
  19. TheDude
    But more often than not, Furcal won't even be on base, so Pierre could just try and slap one through the hole. By your standard of "more often than not" that would require a .501 OBP. When was the last time that happened ;)? In all seriousness, I'd be very surprised if Pierre in the 2-hole behind Furcal resulted in a bunt sacrifice before the 8th inning. Maybe earlier against a top 3 pitcher for the league as well.
  20. TheDude
    I figured this was the case after Rusch was re-signed. Wood is going to have to go through some learning pains again as he tinkers with his mechanics.
  21. TheDude
    There are too many posts to quote. So I'll just say it: Furcal at 27 is nowhere near past his prime. It's a total strawman argument. If you don't like his skillset, fine. Just say you don't like it and you don't think he is a fit for the Cubs. But to claim at 27 year old is past his prime or will rapidly decline is absurd. Especially given the numbers prove otherwise, so there isn't even a possibility of propping the argument up with anything. As for the topic - Giles is a great acquisition and a great fit. I would be very happy to have him in Wrigley. I take issue with the hypocrisy that Giles won't decline over a 3 year contract, but guys 5-8 years younger will.
  22. TheDude
    if we give up that much for pierre, i'm not going to be happy. Pierre doesn't come for nothing. Patterson has minimal trade value right now and Hill is a hit or miss prospect. I think you're overrating the Cubs players in this deal.
  23. TheDude
    IMO, trades might happen first. With respect to both the Cubs and the league in general. It is a player's market. So the big names have nothing to lose by waiting for the desperate/big money teams to fight it out.
  24. TheDude
    Florida is trying to clear payroll, so unless a third team is involved, I don't see any way Vasquez ends up in Florida. I could see Texas taking a flyer on him if they could unload something on to Arizona. He isn't Texas stadium material (too many longballs). Put him in Detroit and he's an all-star. Not sure how much many Detroit has too spend though.
  25. TheDude
    I am also not a huge fan of the 150 K but .380 OBP turnaround. However - Dunn hitting inbetween or behind Lee and Ramirez = unadulterated gold.
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