TXCubsFan

I could live with that trade.

A SS might not be had, but you could slide Cedeno in the SS position and trade for a number of 2Bs.

I remember them really wanting Hill, not Pie. Trading Hill is fine. Why not trade Harvey instead of Pie? Pie can help the team next year, Harvey is three years away.

Though I worry about having Neifi! available for Dusty to misuse, I understand Hendry's logic in considering a two-year contract. Imagine the following lineup and starting staff for Opening Day 2006: Cedeno - 2B Bradley - CF Lee - 1B Giles - RF Ramirez - 3B Murton - LF Barrett - C Neifi! - SS Zambrano Wood Prior Maddux Lowe / Millwood A very competitive lineup, with an opportunity for E-Patt to develop into a starter by 2008, sliding Cedeno to SS. So by having Neifi!, he's hedged at SS this offseason.

Having Rusch allows Hendry to hedge against Wood's and Guzman's shoulder problems, Hill's uncertain development, Maddux's arm aging, and allows him to trade Williams for the right deal.

Yep. Let's have Hendry evaluate these guys correctly and make these types of deals. Have we traded a prospect at his highest value? The only one that I can think of that's even close would be Hee Seop. Scott Downs for Rondell White Miguel Batista for Henry Rodriguez Harris/Beltran for Nomar Harris/Beltran for Nomar/Murton! :P

Did Jim Hendry stop laughing before or after he hung up the phone?

We Cubs fans can relate to that. :wink:

A number of possible reasons: 1. Guzman is going to need work in Iowa next season before going to Wrigley. 2. Hill is a work in progress and probably will spend the year in the bullpen. 3. Maddux may not be back next year. 4. Wood may not return to form. 5. Williams may be trade bait.

You are correct. Giles is not a sure thing. However, San Diego lowballed David Wells in 2005 (another local boy) after he signed a very hometown discount in 2004. Wells left. Giles has also seen his offense take a pretty big hit playing in the pitcher friendly confines of Petco Park. Will he stay or will he go? There have been rumors that he'd like to play with his brother somewhere. Why the Cubs wouldn't entertain insane offers to lure Giles is beyond me. He's exactly what this team needs. Lefty power hitter with outstanding plate patience. But, why would Giles want to come to Chicago. To leave San Diego (a team that made the playoffs this year), I would imagine he'd want to go to a team that would have a real good shot at making the playoffs. Another strike against the Cubs. The Cardinals are in that division and the Cubs seem to be moving backwards rather than forward. The one thing the Cubs will have going for them is that they have more money to throw at him than most other teams. Not only will they need to spend that money, but they will have to wine him and dine him and show him how badly they want him to be a Cub. Otherwise, he could settle for less money to stay in San Diego, settle for less money to play in Atlanta with his brother, or settle for less money to play for a team that is serious about being competitive. So far, I have not seen the Cubs show much interest in Giles. I hope that changes. I don't like the vibe I'm getting from management at this early stage of the offseason. They seem like they want better defense up the middle (Neifi at 2nd over Walker, Furcal or Cedeno at SS), a lead off hitter (Furcal once again), and better offense from CF (Preston Wilson). I have yet to hear that Burnitz has been cut loose. This scares me as well. Is it possible the Cubs could go into the season with..... Furcal Perez (why wouldn't Dusty bat him here?) Lee Aramis Burnitz Wilson Barrett Murton I sure don't like it. I don't see Perez playing 2B over Cedeno. I don't see Burnitz and Wilson in the same OF. Remember, Burnitz was a very last minute addition last year. Hendry also would bring back Hairston and have him play CF until Pie is ready in mid-2006 rather than bring Wilson.

Hendry loves these types of players. Rich Hill is the archtype, and he might turn into a good #3 starter. If Guzman can reach his potential, imagine having a Zambrano - Prior - Guzman rotation in a playoff series! I'm not sure how you can leave Kerry Wood off of that list. His future after 2006 might be as a closer for the Cubs or another team.

Hendry loves these types of players. Rich Hill is the archtype, and he might turn into a good #3 starter. If Guzman can reach his potential, imagine having a Zambrano - Prior - Guzman rotation in a playoff series!

Bleed Cubbie Blue's sources say the Cubs are targeting six players: http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/story/2005/9/24/192435/295#commenttop Furcal and Burnett have been discussed extensively on this board. Any thoughts on the potential trade with the Tigers that BCB mentions?

Exactly! I'd say the same thing about Cedeno.

=D>

British? Yeh, hi! Observant of you. Brinoch, I'm probably not ready to give on Corey yet myself. His defence alone has some value, and while his bat is a huge problem right now, maybe six months off will help him a bit. I think half of it is in the mind right now. He's a man convinced of his swing and miss fate before the pitcher's even come set. now you're just showing off with the british stuff. your next post will probably include a link to an mp3 of a recording of you saying the word "aluminum." You need to spell the word properly first. :lol:

give me a break...this guy always finds a way to cut down a young player and make excuses for an older player. his bias is so ridiculously obvious that i can't believe he even makes an effort to dispel it with his comments. well, i'd love to start cedeno at ss, but his throws to first run just a little bit into the runner. i think we'll go w/ neifi and his sub-.300 obp...his throws to first are awesome! Honestly, would this quote raise an eyebrow if any other manager had said it? If Tony LaRussa or Bobby Cox were saying this we would be saying, "see, it is their eye for detail and the level of excellence they demand of their players that gets them where they are". yeah, except, strangely enough he only nit-picks at the games of younger players. -murton needs to hit for more power (replaced by hairston, who has no power & patterson who can't hit anything) -dubois can't play defense (replaced by hollandsworth, who is awful defensively, and can't hit to save his life) -cedeno throws slightly funny (replaced by neifi and his .300 obp) -hill isn't ready for the big leagues (replaced by rusch, who has gone 0-4 with an 8ish era since he took hill's spot) point me to an example of him doing this to a young player, then we'll talk. Dubois didn't stick with the Indians, he was sent to AAA. Hard to argue that we underrated him. Playing Hairston and Patterson now makes some sense, as Hendry/Baker may be evaluating them for next year. Murton will be on the Cubs in 2006; the other two may or may not. Hill needs to work on a third pitch. Some bullpen time for the remainder of this season might be prudent.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-050904cubsbits,1,5920385.story?coll=cs-cubs-headlines =D> \:D/

It's Dusty. Do you have to ask? :roll:

#-o

Good luck!

i agree I don't think so. I suspect Neifi! will be starting elsewhere. Ronny was put on the 40-man roster long before his talent was apparent to the average fan. Hendry is not going to let one of his best prospects rot on the bench in his second season with the team.

Why not go for Damon, where we have few replacements in our minor league system, and let Ronny try to establish himself at SS? SS is a position where demand outstrips supply, so why not lean on a home-grown option there?

Or maybe he's pitching better due to not pitching in a pressure-packed situation/team/city? Also a good explanation. It just seems like when pitchers leave Chicago they pitch better, for the most part. Juan Cruz sure hasn't.

When I saw the title, I had assumed Corey had been sent to AA. :D