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They're young, gifted, 1 year ahead of the curve, and inexpensive. They have a very good chance in the AL West. They have health concerns, more with position players rather than pitchers (minus Harden). Their balance reminds me of the '04 Cubs, before injuries and age caught up to them. Oak. has a better chance to stay healthy and have players improve as their core gets more experience given their age. I see them doing what the '04 Cubs failed to do.

Agreed, but would they play Payton ahead of Thomas? Shifting Swisher to 1B and Johnson to DH or vice versa.

These recent knee troubles only increase the need of him having to get in better shape to remain in LF and not shift to 1B prematurely b/c of his weight.

Depends on if Oakland wants to go the defensive route on the OF as Payton, Kotsay, and Bradley is one of the best defensive OFs in MLB. I see him as a part-time player, luckily his health incentives are just as high as his PA incentives.

I don't think Macha would start him everyday, his health likely equates to him being a part-time DH, able to produce in limited roles, but unable to stay healthy enough to absorb a full-time role. I would assume his max PAs would be 350 and more likely in the 2s.

Williams provides the Cubs a long-term under contract btm of the rotation pitching, his ceiling is that of a middle of the rotation starter. Right now, they have 4 starters locked up after this year and Williams happens to be the cheapest and likely will be more productive than Rusch. With Maddux, Wood, and Miller FAs, despite the large amount of money from FAs Maddux and Wood, it will become difficult to build a large % of the rotation thru FA in the same year. If the Cubs had the ability to trade someone of that value for a platoon player, it would be great. I don't see it. I don't see where the Cubs have the ability to even start the year with Z, Prior, Maddux, Rusch, and Hill their starting 5 until Wood gets healthy. A 4 man rotation is unwise, unless the risks of burning out a rotation in August is worth having Kearns face LH'ers, something I've haven't seen discussed regarding Jones. I think Kearns over Murton would be a more likely possibility than Jones/Kearns in RF. I feel Murton has better tools than Kearns on offense as well as a better approach and will be more productive, that's before factoring Kearns' injury history

Nice signing by Oak, especially at the price. They'll have a nice surplus and it's a low risk signing. If they can get a platoon out of him vs.LH'ers, it should help him stay healthy and get the 150-200 ABs. He'll likely hit for less power, but still has one of the best approaches in the game. .260/.375/.480 is what I think he'll come close to, if his injuries are a thing of the past. Not a bad investment.

A gym rat is not someone who kills themselves in the weight room, a gym consists of video and batting cages, not something that will bulk you up beyond the point of being practical. I consider Eckstein to be a gym rat as well and he probably could not bench my weight. Spending an entire off-season watching video, working on mechanics, going thru improved workout facilities, individualized instructors. Working with someone like Von Joshua or Clines would likely do more for Patterson than heading to Puerto Rico. Especially, if Patterson is not knowing what to look for as far as improving and needing the specialization of one on one teaching.

A GM is typically as good as his scouts/instructors allow him to be. Hughes has a great track record and whichever route he goes as far as BPA (best player avail) and how much of the team is going to be built thru the farm system will be well thought-out. For isolating it to Cincy, he'll have to decide if they should win in the short-term by drafting college pitchers or mix it w/the higher ceiling HS pitchers. He's earned the right to be a GM. Dayton Moore is still the best future GM, IMO. As far as scouting HS hitters, you learn as much watching him in one practice as you do by watching him in 5 games. Esp., if he's facing the best pitcher during live H/P drills during that practice. Just a little tip for Bruce and Cuse :) .

If you (as a player) feel you can get more out of an off-season program than playing Winter Ball, I support the player committed to working out all offseason in an environment that he feels can get the most out of him in the off-season. If a player heads to PR, doesn't want to be there, and goes thru the motion for 40 or so games, he is not going to get anything out of it. Not wanting to go there just not show a poor work ethic, just basic desires. Of course, a player should go over his off-season plan with the team before the off-season starts.

I don't think not going to Winter Ball is any indication of a poor work ethic, if a player has a off-season workout program at home. Was Patterson not going an indication? Michaels is known as a gym rat who arrives early at the park, like Patterson, that speaks more to me than declining going to Winter Ball.

I agree with the above. Michaels stats do not disprove that he would be an effective everday player. My problem is - and its been said alread - if he is such a sure thing, how come he never has been everyday player? How come some other fwd-thinking team hasn't already traded for him (he's thirty!)? If you look at his career numbers, he was at right around 500 ABs at the major league level before last year. Teams likely needed a larger sample to evaluate him as far as deciding whether or not to trade for him. His age is stunted by him attending Miami and his path to his majors, if you're 22-23 out of college and appear at every level, you're going to arrive at the majors around 25-27. Between that and being a part-time role, you're going to have a late arrival and a small major-league sample. Plus, his tools aren't above avg. in any aspect. He's not super fast, doesn't have raw power, avg. bat speed, avg. arm. He has a great work ethic, instincts, and approach to the game. If you have avg. tools across the board, you'll see less than demand compard to someone like Patterson. Those tools or lack of as well as the tools of Marlon Byrd are the same reasons why he has been platooned. Similar to John Olerud and his lack of tools for a 1B, you have to adjust your projection based on production rather than tools. That'll likely answer your question (fairly and unbiased) as to why he hasn't been traded and has a limited sample despite his age.

Different GMs and different managers value players different than each other. (Potential scenario) The same qualities that Shapiro and Wedge see in Michaels and project him as their starting corner OF'er are the same qualities that Wade (now Gillick) as well as Manuel seen that put Michaels' value as a platoon player. If Cleveland acquires him, it should be assumed it will be as a starter to replace some of the loss of Crisp. His value is geared towards being an above avg. CF'er rather than an above avg. corner OF'er. Michaels' career pattern gives no indication that he would be ineffective as a full-time player. It does show that he has been extremely effective in a platoon/part-time role and undefined as an everyday player.

No, balanced schedule is bad. While it is argues that is unfair, I'd rather have more chances to gain ground against division foes than an extra series or two against the Padres or Nationals. If it's unfair, I think it should be removed. Especially with the wild card, the difference between divisions should be minimized as much as possible. It should be weighted, just 12-13 games within the division and 9 against out of division.

Cards 89-95 wins Cubs 82-88 wins Astros 82-88 wins Brewers 78-84 wins Reds 75-81 wins Pirates 69-75 wins

I agree w/getting rid of the DH and getting rid of Interleague games as well as going to a balanced schedule.

To quote Gary Ward... "The walk is the easiest and most productive element of team run production."

This is the info I got from Mark Parent...

I thought Tillman had a very good year with bad game against the best WR in the NFL, put on an island in the process. They need a 3rd CB as it is, why have 3 staring safeties, and one starting CB? That would be very disappointing.

D is pretty accurate, not a failure, not what you would call average for a team with the financial freedom that the Cubd had this off-season. Is says something about this team, that they could improve this club and still get a D for the off-season.

Is Hillenmeyer a weak player b/c he's not that good or b/c Briggs and Urlcaher are that much better? I think he's an avg. OLB surrounded by very good to great LBs. If you believe that Lewis, Pope, or Davis are among the top 25 players overall, you draft them. The reason why you draft them over another position b/c I believe it is a great area of need and still likely the best player avail., all the drafting reports are Lewis, Davis, and Pope to be between the top 15-25 players in this draft. Now, if that TE from ND was the best TE in the draft, I'd agree, but the BPA fits a position of need, take it. They need to lock Briggs before thinking about any FAs. I don't see them as a FA player, not when Metcalf is the only one that might not come back next year among the 22.

That falls on the program itself. If they were more careful at monitoring fatigue as well as mechanics. A pitcher whether he goes into college or signs a contract will have been abused in HS. I'd rather see a player goes thru 3 years in the minors than 3 years in college if I was a GM or scouting director, that way you have the control as far as his workload and mechanics, etc. The higher injury ratio of HS pitchers compared to college pitchers, tells me not to draft HS pitchers, but teams are not doing a good enough job of monitoring fatigue, using biomechanics, prehab work, nutritional work, and recovery time. Teams have to look in the mirror when a pitcher gets injured, instead of ignoring it.

All the teams draft HS players that ones that are afraid draft OF'ers instead of pitchers/catchers. Despite Bonderman (debate the merits of whether or not that was a mistake or not of drafting him) Oakland, Toronto, STL (recently '04), Cleveland, etc. It would be a strange occurance for them to draft a HS pitcher early. Drafting a C would be even more unheard of. Either the GM or the scouts/instuctors should be fired, if that's the case.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060116cubs,1,1301681.story?coll=cs-cubs-headlines Good to see Prior refining his mechanics.

If you get better questions & due to time constraints, you couldn't ask all of the intended questions to Len and had to pick and choose the most relevant questions. :-# Just a possible scenario.