TheDude

I agree that Damon would be better, but I wouldn't pay either 10 million, and especially not for the years that Damon wants. Damon's numbers away from Fenway aren't that much different than Hunter's. I am not sure the away numbers angle really holds. If Damon leaves Boston, he'll have home numbers somewhere, even if slightly reduced. I have never been a fan of taking a player's away numbers and trying to apply them to Wrigley in a trade/signing scenario. Generally speaking, most players have better home numbers, some significantly so. I prefer to compare season totals and 3 year totals to compare the two.

Damon won't command a whole lot more than Hunter. Damon is superior offensively. Both have the right character, but for the cost differential, I'll take Damon.

This isn't the first article I have read noting that Torre may be on the way out of NY. Would the Cubs be bold enough to fire Dusty and make a play for Torre if in fact the Yankees miss the playoffs and the Cubs finish under .500 (my two prerequisite conditions for the above to happen)? [edit - changed the title to include Torre's full name in light of the Torii Hunter threads to avoid confusion]

If I am Boston, no way do I trade Ramirez. Ortiz/Ramirez is a frightening as it gets in baseball. Ramirez may have "slipped" this year in average, but not when it counts. His BA/OBP/SLG with runners on base is .53/.50/.152 higher than his season totals. His OPS with RiSP is 1.235. He is simply worth the contract, off-field headaches or no.

I thought every thread that mentioned Dusty/Hendry/any beat writer not named Miles was a sarcasm thread... Anyway: -I sure can't wait to hear that one about black players and the sun again! -Or what about that one where Macias gets traded for [insert lame object of humor of your choice]! -I'd like to hear that joke where says "Dude" one more time! -And the one about clogging the bases! ;)

I'm no Dusty lover, but the piling on is out of control. Even when Dusty compliments a young player, he gets ripped to shreds. If you put him the man in a no-win situation, it shouldn't be a surprise he doesn't win. As for the little "jab" about fundamentals - that is just Dusty's style. Not saying I like it, but it isn't surprise, nor is it even a meaningful criticism. He will say that about every young player because generally speaking it is true. Like most people, Dusty probably has one specific instance in his memory that sticks out where Cedeno made a mental mistake, and it is driving his judgement/comment at that moment. I think it would be nice to hear him generalize less, but the fact that he is high on both Cedeno's offense and his defense is a good thing for fans who want RC to start next year, and that is what we should be taking to heart from the comments.

Doesn't logic mandate the Diamondbacks, an organization with questionable finances already, deal one of the elder, higher payroll guys first? I can't see Quentin or Tracy going anywhere - unless it is a needs swap of top prospects that ends in a wash financially.

I think it is a problem with confidence. Mitre has [edit] not [/edit] been handed the ball and told "you're in the rotation". He has always been a replacement for injured pitchers, spot starter, or temporary rotation stop-gap. I wonder how he would perform if he was handed the ball out of ST and told he is the 5th starter unless he shows otherwise. Baker has essentially done that with Williams since he was brought up, but has never really done that with Mitre, IIRC. [sorry for the edit, but having the not in the sentence is kind of critical to the point ;).]

Booing Dusty at a convention, from a distance does nothing to show why you are unhappy. If I had some random guy booing me in a place of celebration for my job, I'd think he was off his block. Anyway, Mitre isn't a short-relief bullpen pitcher. That's the real reason he gave up the homerun last night IMO. He was still warming up.

Maybe I am oversimplifying, because I can't claim to recall these games in specifics, but that sure seems like a classic case of a low-zone pitcher dominating when he stays low, and getting lit up when he doesn't. Send Mitre to Atlanta. He'll win 15 games. [edit - maybe in AAA he isn't nervous, and stays down most of the time. Nerves get to him in the bigs and he overthrows, raising his zone.[/edit]

The problem is, that has been said about so many young guys in the past, for any team. I have no problem gambling on young guys, especially when blocked by aging guys who don't need to be blocking, but Furcal is young and proven, while Cedeno is just young. A few years ago, before Patterson got hurt and Beltran had 1.5 years left on his contract as a Royal, I was a huge advocate of trying to get Beltran, with Patterson and an arm from the farm as the centerpieces in the deal. Most said exactly what you just said, "we don't need Beltran, because Patterson will be cheaper longterm and just as productive". Anyway, my thinking is this: if you can acquire a guy in his prime, at 25-29, who is already proven at the big leagues, then you get him, even at the expense of an even younger guy waiting in the wings. The team has the money - so minimize the risk and go with the (more) sure thing.

I think it's the difference between wanting an avg. pen and a great pen. Say you get Ryan and Sauerbeck, the pen likely becomes one of the top 5 in MLB. Relief pitching at the major league level has proven time and again that it doesn't work this way. A team can acquire a reliever that was top 5 at the time of acquisition, but does not mean that reliever will continue that level in the new home. Chicago has several examples in recent years. Meanwhile, teams every year will gamble on a reliever that was cut by another team, or struggled starting, etc., and the guy will dominate for the new team. Chicago also has several examples in recent years. I am not saying that someone like Ryan isn't worth the gamble - but don't immediately assume an acquisition like that makes the pen great. Make sure to spend the big money on a lower risk aspect of the game first.

I root for macias because I cannot allow myself to root against a Cubbie. I want the team to win, whoever is in the uniform. However, Macias is the prime example for why baseball would do well to contract two teams.

I would however be sickened by that move. Pierre is not the answer, as I'm sure 99% of this board believes also. You'd be wrong. Just run a search. That argument has been run into the ground in a half-dozen other threads already. But there are plenty of pro-Pierre supporters on this board. It's just that the Beanesters tend to have the louder voices and a 10-1 post count ;).

There is no chance the team does nothing. Prior and Zambrano will continue to get escalating raises and 2 years from now their salaries will be preventative for the team to make too many acquisitions. All you have done is waste a couple years in the meantime. Generally speaking, the FA class isn't ripe with all-stars. But there is talent worth pursuing, and there is definately talent enough to rebuild a contender. People shouldn't fear overpaying. There is no sure thing. But the last thing Hendry will do on a contract year for him and his manager is not field the best team possible.

Why would a team looking to add one more stud bat trade away the best bat in the lineup? Trading Lee makes zero sense unless the team is rebuilding and wants the top prospect from the target trade partner. The team isn't rebuilding - it's reloading. Assume whoever the Cubs pickup hits behind Lee at 4th (or maybe behind Ramirez at 5th) and produces 30/100. With 4th and 5th hole hitters behind Lee like those, why would his production slow down significantly? Maybe he regresses to .290/35/100 with a .370 OBP. That is still fantastic, when you toss in a stellar defense and 15 SB. Lee and Ramirez make a formidable 3-4 combo. Add Giles-like production behind them, and the team is loaded with a 100HR/300RBI middle-of-the-lineup hitting around .300 with .370+ OBP. [edit - smelling pistakes]

I agree with all of that. However, people are now at the point where they are searching for ways to make Baker look bad. There is nothing wrong with stating that fundamentals are an issue league-wide. Yes, take issue with the fact that he defered blame yet again with respect to his own team and ability to manage. But that doesn't make the statement false or idiotic. All you have to do is listen to the players who marvel at Iguchi or Ichiro for their fundamentals. There does appear to be a gap in the US with the current generation, but perhaps that the "old" in me talking.

I'll shoot for some out-of-the-box stuff. I believe the Cubs can partner with the right team as long as they look at the other teams "on the cusp". However, the biggest problem the Cubs have is the lack of any real trading value, so this is certainly not an easy thing. 1 - For example, the Texas Rangers have to finally accept that they need a marquee starter for that rotation if they want to contend. They have good young pitchers, but need an anchor on the staff. Texas also has an abundance of hitting youth all over the field. I have heard talk of them parting with Soriano, Mench, one of their catchers, and even Blalock if it nets them the pitcher they desire. I really, really wish Wood was healthy and not questionable. I'd try to find a way to trade Wood to Texas for Young (my dream leadoff hitter). Now, the Cubs don't have that marquee pitcher to give up right now. But perhaps there is a creative alternative for the spinners out there. Something that nets the Cubs Mench in the end. (The dream is to spin Zito + others to Texas for Mench and Young). 2 - I think Jesse Crain can be had from Minnesota. Minnesota likely wants to part with JC Romero first - but maybe Hendry can get Crain instead of Romero for Walker. I'll take either, though Walker should net more than just Romero (meaning a prospect). 3 - Sign Giles. He has the 2nd highest OBP in MLB. There is no question about this move. 4 - Bring back Jon Lieber! Ok, so it's a ways out of the box and a bit sentimental, but Lieber has a fantastic K/BB ratio and control. He keeps his team in games and makes the opponent earn it. Unfortunately, Philly needs the starting pitching as much as we do, so this isn't likely to happen.

A lot of teams make fundamental mistakes. The Cubs are not the only ones, despite the claim. And the Cubs are a young team. The younger players are committing more of the mistakes than the veterans, from my observation. Hairston and Patterson in particular, as well as the younger pitchers in the field. I think Dusty needs to stop defering blame, but I'm a little tired of a new thread or five daily that does nothing to add new criticism. Some of what Dusty said has merit.

Dubois for Gerut for Lawton for Berg. Hendry sure took the roundabout way of getting this guy. Perhaps this was the master plan all along. That is not a fair assessment. The trade for Lawton had no future plan - it was a rental push for the post-season that didn't work out. The fact that the Cubs have anything to show for Lawton is just a bonus. This is why I was not in favor of the trade for Lawton to begin with. I want Gerut back.

I am only ok with bringing Perez back next year if the team signs Furcal or some other SS that will definately be the clear-cut starter. I don't want Perez on the team if Cedeno is the starter going into ST, because then Cedeno will not play.

Wow. That is some serious praise right there. Let's see how he looks over the next month.

I think it was definately a position of need. I love Choi and wish him the best, but he wasn't going to cut it as an everyday starter, and this has been proven with 3 teams. These are good questions. However, I don't think Lees money prevented these other transactions. It comes down to going the extra mile to get the right player, and apparently the Trib didn't cough up extra. So Moises and Sammy it was...

That is very true. One of the legitimate criticisms of Hendry, but I think it comes with rose-colored glasses and a "hindsight" approach. How many GMs would do it differently? Names like Wood, Prior, and Garciaparra are stud names in the game, irreplacable actually. If you transplant the situation to another team, say Houston, would they do the same thing? The answer is yes, they did, on a smaller scale. Oswalt, Berkman, Pettitte - all stud names with recent injury issues (though not to the same extent). They stuck with them, and they were fortunate. Hendry took a calculated gamble that the all-star calibur talent on the team would stay healthy. IMO, the majority of GMs in MLB would take the same gamble. Let's reverse the situation and say he doesn't take the gamble, using Garciaparra as an example. What does he do? Does he sign a legitimate everyday SS starter? Does he sign another all-star calibur SS? What happens then if Garciaparra stays healthy all season? Now you have a disgruntled professional starter sitting on the bench, costing starter's salary. That is waste of money and manpower.

This isn't a competition. I am not suggesting your opinion is off or wrong because it is different. I am simply stating and acknowledging that we measure value differently. I do find it interesting that you think Wins is a perfectly acceptable metric to measure a GM by, but not a starting pitcher. Anyway, from my perspective, Hendry inherited an aging team at a cross-roads. Declining Sosa, Alou, McGriff, Hundley. That was fused with promising youth at pitching and CF; Prior, Zambrano, Wood, Patterson. 2003 was a bizarre hodge-podge that somehow worked - but IMO it was a less talented team. Since, Hendry hasn't done a good job replacing Sosa and Alou, but has at replacing the core of the infield. Lee is 29. Ramirez 27. Barret is 28. All of those pitchers are still under 30. Hendry has replaced most of the declining veterans with youth. The veterans stop-gaps in other places didn't work out - but you know what? They didn't work out for Atlanta either. They had a manager who gambled on the farm and it worked out for them. But that is on the manager's head. But, this year's win-loss total aside, Hendry has assembled a team core that young and talented. All the critical parts are still under 30 years old! I cannot honestly asses Hendry as a failure when I look at the talent, age, core philosophy (pitching). I believe that 2 solid offseason acquisitions (all-star or near all-star) will propel the plan back into action. It is up to the manager to not screw it up. [edit - correcting numerous smelling pistakes]