vance_the_cubs_fan

I didn't expect anything else. I'm glad his secret story doesn't sound absolutely bogus, but really, there was no proof he could have given. I don't think I said I was going to prove anything, I just responded to someone's request that I share my information with a mod and let them judge. Really I did it for the sanity of the board, I don't really care if anyone believes me or not. Like I said I completely lucked into this information, it isn't like I'm going to become an insider or anything and have scoops for every rumor. This is most likely a one-time thing. FWIW, Donnie, I appreciate you sharing. I also really hope you're right and that we're getting Peavy.

I really don't like this move. I felt we could get a lot more for Ceda if were inclined to include him in a deal. I'm hoping that Greg is flipped to the Padres in the Peavy deal, but somehow I doubt that. It's just my hope that could at least help me rationalize why we sent Ceda for an over-rated reliever like Gregg. My guess is if Wood walks, Marmol will close with Ceda helping out with the set-up duties. I guess Lou wanted a few more veteran arms in the pen.

So, you've been ripped by Andy Dolan and his massive ego. Welcome to the club.

Maybe Donnie is hanging out in Puerto Rico with the Peavy family....

I really doubt Hill straightens it out quickly enough to claim a spot in the rotation. I guess if he has a spectacular spring that could happen. I hope that he looks good enough that we can use him in the pen instead of cutting him loose by exposing him to waivers.

If the Giants sign Howry and we get their first round pick, I will be ecstatic.

He's risky. But he nearly threw 200 innings last season.

Rotoworld is now reporting the deal is final with Street, Greg Smith, and Carlos Gonzalez going to the Rockies for Holliday.

Jerry Crasnick speculates that if the Cubs lose out on getting Peavy and lose Dempster to another team, they could turn to Ben Sheets. Link. The article speculates that Sheets may not get a long term deal due to his health issues, and Sheets has a littany of them. But when he's healthy, he's good. From the article... The article erroneously says Sheets makes his offseason home in Dallas. Ben just built a house in the Frenchman's Bend subdivision here in Monroe and he and his wife have now moved their offseason home here. I've heard from people around here that Sheets wants to pitch close to home and prefers to stay in the National League. Houston and Atlanta most fit that bill, but I agree with Crasnick that Maddux's presence on the Rangers' coaching staff could sway him to the Rangers. All that aside, if someone is willing to go with years and dollars, Sheets would probably take the financial security over pitching close to home. All that said, if we could get Sheets on a reasonable 3 year deal maybe with some incentives and options, he would be an excellent pitcher. My biggest concern if we did sign Sheets is that our two best pitchers in Harden and Sheets could be hurt at any time. Due to his time at UL-Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana), Ben is one of my favorite non-Cubs. For sentimental reasons, I'd love for him to pitch for the Cubs.

Kroeger would be a cheap option to put in the mix for RF. I'd like to see if the Cubs could re-sign him to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.

Cards won't be getting Holliday. Link.

I wouldn't spend a lot on bullpen arms. There's always some guys out there later in the process that can feel needs. If we have a dominant rotation with Peavy, Zambrano, Harden, and Lilly the need for a lot of strong arms in the pen will not be needed as much.

wtf, Lee?

Jarrett Lee has been horrible. Damnit!

If LSU can't win the national championship this year, let's at least do our best to keep Bama from winning it too! :D

Judging Reyes based on past Braves prospects is pointless. That's equivalent to saying all of the Cubs hitting prospects suck because the Cubs haven't produced a decent regular since Mark Grace. It's meaningless. Reyes could be deemed by some teams as just as ready as Marshall. Marshall has more major league experience, but Jo Jo isn't a guy who isn't ready. He's going to be in a major league rotation next season whether that's with the Braves or elsewhere. I don't know where you get that the Braves don't value their pitching prospects. They've given spots to Morton and Reyes. I know you want to say Reyes is a throw-in, but he has as much value to the deal as Marshall does to ours.

Keep running, Keiland, keep running!

I disagree about Reyes. I didn't see anything that warrants him having good upside. Not to mention when was the last time the Braves developed a homegrown pitching talent (they acquire via UNFA, draft, anything but tradeS) and kept them? Millwood? Glavine? Chuck James? Andrew Lerew? I think teams are still leary about question Braves pitchng prospects. Because of Schmidt--pre injury, Wainwright, and Millwood, no other great prospect from the Braves gone off to stardom. So, teams aren't quick to acquire LH prospects from the Braves, thus IMO, Reyes doesn't have much value in trade talks. That why Marshall has more value, because he's soon he can pitch at the major league level. IMO, Reyes is a non-factor in talks. IMO, Reyes would be a throw-in in this deal, and not main piece. If Reyes is a throw-in, so is Sean Marshall. Nope.. Marshall has put ERA+ of 116 and 119 the last two yrs. Reyes has put up ERA+ of 69 and 72 the last two yrs. Granted Reyes is in a smaller sample size then Marshall. 3.40/1.23 .v. 2.69/1.13 (ERA and whip) these are the career numbers in the minors of Jo Reyes and Sean Marshall respectively. Even in the minors, Marshall has been the better pitcher in few innings, mind you. Reyes may have higher upside, but Marshall--RIGHT NOW---is clearly a better pitcher then Reyes thus more value. Just because Marshall has had more success doesn't mean he has more value. I've already said that personally, I'd prefer Marshall based on his success, but Reyes has better "stuff" even if he hasn't turned that into major league success. Reyes is also younger. In regards to who has more value depends on what a team wants. Marshall has proven he can pitch in the majors and has more experience. To some that may make him more valuable. On the other hand, Reyes has a higher ceiling, but hasn't reached it. If both players reach their ceiling, Reyes will be the better pitcher.

I disagree about Reyes. I didn't see anything that warrants him having good upside. Not to mention when was the last time the Braves developed a homegrown pitching talent (they acquire via UNFA, draft, anything but tradeS) and kept them? Millwood? Glavine? Chuck James? Andrew Lerew? I think teams are still leary about question Braves pitchng prospects. Because of Schmidt--pre injury, Wainwright, and Millwood, no other great prospect from the Braves gone off to stardom. So, teams aren't quick to acquire LH prospects from the Braves, thus IMO, Reyes doesn't have much value in trade talks. That why Marshall has more value, because he's soon he can pitch at the major league level. IMO, Reyes is a non-factor in talks. IMO, Reyes would be a throw-in in this deal, and not main piece. If Reyes is a throw-in, so is Sean Marshall.

Prolly, but Peavy wouldn't accept that deal because Escobar is in it. At this point any offer the Braves make prolly don't have Escobar in it, which means the Cubs match any Braves offer or better, unless the Braves put either Heyward (who IMO, is a better prospect then Schafer) or Hanson. Reyes, IMO is like Horatio Ramirez/Bruce Chen/random left handed pitching prospect. I don't see any upside to him. He's like Sean Marshall without the upside. Morton is intriguing prospect, but not one that trumps anything the Cubs have. And Schafer, it depends on which CF prospect they like better; Schafer or Pie. Schafer is more likely to live up to potential, but Pie has the higher upside. Again, it would depend on which prospects they like better. It's hard to gauge where the trade talks are right now, or which prospects the Padres really like, and not the ones that have been leaked. But if we are to believe that Peavy does not want Escobar traded, then that significantly hurts the Braves chances at landing Peavy, unless they put Hanson or Heyward into the deal. No Escobar/Hanson and/or Heyward, and the Cubs can trump anything the Braves can offer. As a prospect, Reyes has as much upside if not more than Marshall. Like Marshall, Reyes struggled in his first attempts in the big leagues. Reyes is younger than Marshall and is regarded as having better stuff. I'd probably prefer Marshall based on what he did last year as a fill-in, but many teams might value Reyes more. Also, I'm not so sure the Braves have to remove Escobar. The Braves could convince Peavy they have the means to replace Escobar through free agency or with another trade. I want to hope the Cubs get him, and I think we're in the thick of it, but if the Braves offer Escobar, Reyes, and Shafer instead of Gorkys, we might not be able to match that.

Escobar, Reyes or Morton and Shafer probably beats any deal the Cubs make. Marshall is more experienced than Reyes and Morton, but the ceiling of those two is viewed to be as high as Marshall, especially with Reyes. Shafer and Pie are likely equivalent due to Pie's struggles when he has been given playing time, but Escobar is head and shoulders better than Cedeno. My feeling is if the Padres really like Escobar, the Cubs will have a tough time beating the Braves offer. We have to hope the Padres really like Pie or the fourth piece the Cubs would likely add in order to trump the Braves deal.

According to Tracy Ringolsby... Link.

Thanks for stopping by, Bruce. What percentage would you give to this getting done? 50/50...better than 50/50?

This article from Forbes says the Trib may retain a 50% ownership in the Cubs. Link.

Bruce weighs in. Link.