vance_the_cubs_fan

That has been discussed. The guys in Mississippi mentioned it as well. But he really is a good defensive catcher. My guess is that he'll be traded, but it won't happen unless the Braves get what they really want. He definitely won't be moved for Jacque Jones. The Braves might take Pie and Ohman for him. The Braves may very well value him differently from the rest of the league. We here should be very familiar with that. The fact is, league-wide his stock has fallen. I'm in no way stating that he doesn't have a bright future, I'm just saying that he isn't viewed as a can't miss prospect anymore. I also think many here undervalue Jacque Jones. It's all subjective, but when people act like I'm proposing a Cedeno + cash for Jesus Christ deal, it comes off as a little ridiculous. Can you provide some sort of evidence for the fact that his stock has fallen so dramatically over the year that we could get him for a player that, apparently, no one wants? Baseball America has him among the top 40 prospects in the game and he's still the Braves #1 prospect. He's off to a good start this year, and the reason his numbers were so poor last year was that his wrist was injured for the whole first half and he batted .197. As a prospect, I would say he's probably about equal to Pie (Pie is higher, but not as much as you'd think) http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pecota/SALTALAMA19850502A.php I assume you are familiar with Pie's projected WARP and major league equivalents. Salty has a nice upside, I will not deny that, but to imply that a contender would laugh at a cheap Jacque Jones to fill out their lineup..... You say he obviously has no value, while I think he certainly does. I have a feeling we'll find out soon. Honestly, I wouldn't pay too much attention to those, since they are skewed by the fact that he did so awful last year while trying to play through a wrist injury. Let's see how he does this year while healthy. And I never said that Jacque Jones doesn't have value, or that a team would laugh at Jacque Jones. Unlike a lot of people on this site, I actually think Jones is a useful player, and he's probably underrated at the moment. But I don't think he's worth a premium prospect, and I don't think the Cubs will get one for him (unless they're trading with the Pirates). Well, then, I find it curious that you used my idea as an example of how ridiculous trade proposals can get around here. My case is that I don't see Salty as a "premium prospect" while just about everyone else here does. I see a good hitter who is blocked and will likely end up at first base, who could be a decent regular for a few years. It's not just everyone here that sees Salty as a premiere prospect. He's viewed as such by most people in baseball and most prospect ratings. Whether you think he is or not, Salty is a premeire prospect. He has the tools and the upside. He'll bring much more than Jones.

Found this quote from Scout.com, interesting. Link.

Xenophobia is grand, ain't it! he's not really conveying a fear of japanese players. he's just saying he doesn't think they're very good. there is a world of difference here. i think we can read between the lines a bit there. thanks, sulley!

The Pirates are a better team than the Cardinals at this point.

Are they far enough out for me to make a trade for Adam Dunn thread?

That's hilarious!

That has been discussed. The guys in Mississippi mentioned it as well. But he really is a good defensive catcher. My guess is that he'll be traded, but it won't happen unless the Braves get what they really want. He definitely won't be moved for Jacque Jones. The Braves might take Pie and Ohman for him. The Braves may very well value him differently from the rest of the league. We here should be very familiar with that. The fact is, league-wide his stock has fallen. I'm in no way stating that he doesn't have a bright future, I'm just saying that he isn't viewed as a can't miss prospect anymore. I also think many here undervalue Jacque Jones. It's all subjective, but when people act like I'm proposing a Cedeno + cash for Jesus Christ deal, it comes off as a little ridiculous. Can you provide some sort of evidence for the fact that his stock has fallen so dramatically over the year that we could get him for a player that, apparently, no one wants? Baseball America has him among the top 40 prospects in the game and he's still the Braves #1 prospect. He's off to a good start this year, and the reason his numbers were so poor last year was that his wrist was injured for the whole first half and he batted .197. As a prospect, I would say he's probably about equal to Pie (Pie is higher, but not as much as you'd think) http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pecota/SALTALAMA19850502A.php I assume you are familiar with Pie's projected WARP and major league equivalents. Salty has a nice upside, I will not deny that, but to imply that a contender would laugh at a cheap Jacque Jones to fill out their lineup..... You say he obviously has no value, while I think he certainly does. I have a feeling we'll find out soon. The Braves wouldn't laugh at getting Jones, but they aren't going to offer Salty to get him. The Braves might give us Yunil Escobar and another prospect for Jones. They may even part with Joey Devine for Jones. They might offer a package around Van Pope. If they trade Salty, they will get a better player than Jones. You can bet on it.

That has been discussed. The guys in Mississippi mentioned it as well. But he really is a good defensive catcher. My guess is that he'll be traded, but it won't happen unless the Braves get what they really want. He definitely won't be moved for Jacque Jones. The Braves might take Pie and Ohman for him. The Braves may very well value him differently from the rest of the league. We here should be very familiar with that. The fact is, league-wide his stock has fallen. I'm in no way stating that he doesn't have a bright future, I'm just saying that he isn't viewed as a can't miss prospect anymore. I also think many here undervalue Jacque Jones. It's all subjective, but when people act like I'm proposing a Cedeno + cash for Jesus Christ deal, it comes off as a little ridiculous. Do you have proof that league wide his stock has fallen? He's still rated highly on most prospect lists. He's a switch hitting catcher. He had a bad year, but his skills still rate highly to most scouts. He's young and developing. Personally, I think he's valued quite highly. Everything I've heard backs that up. I'm not sure how high Jones is valued. We know Hendry shopped him this offseason and found no takers. If the Braves trade Salty for an OF upgrade, they will aim much, much higher than Jones, unless someone sweetens the deal. Jones + Veal might get it done. Jones + Ohman + Gallagher, maybe. Pie + pitching prospect, probably.

While it's a bit early to make assumptions, I think the Cubs could look to upgrade by acquiring one starting pitcher, a SS, and possible a RF or CF. What we do know is that 3b, 1b, and LF are set, not just for this year, but for the foreseeable future. It's likely the Cubs are satisfied with what they have at C and 2b for this year at least. Furthermore, a long term CF is not going to be acquired as the Cubs will leave that open for Pie. That leaves one starter, a SS, and one OF (most likely RF) as the places the Cubs could improve. The most likely means is to acquire an impending FA or a salary dump. A look at the crop of 2007-2008 FA reveals that there is no upgrade at SS there. Unless the Cubs find a team willing to dump a player in the middle of his contract, it's quite possible no veteran SS will be acquired. While it's the least likely spot for upgrade, RF provides the most possibilites. How would having Jermaine Dye come across town improve the line-up? Dye has started slowly, only hitting 216 thus far, but if he gets out of his funk, he could be a possible acquisition. His contract ends at the end of the season and it's possible he won't re-sign with the Sox. If the White Sox fail to right their sinking ship, Dye could be a player they place on the market. Another OF that could be acquired would be Ichiro. Ichiro would be nice, because he could handle CF. Ichiro is hitting 270, which is a little lower than the 300 avg everyone expects of him. He might be available if Seattle falls far out of the race and contract talks go no where. Right now, Seattle is only a game behind LA, so Ichiro is probably not on the market right now. If the Cubs move to acquire a starting pitcher, then a number of possibilites could emerge. None of them are going to be great, but any of them could provide a shot in the arm. Barring an injury, my best guess is that the Cubs go after an OF. I think Dye could be the leader in that race.

Ronny likely will be back at some point. He needs to get things right. Right now, he's a mess.

Go Cubs. Angel, Please don't suck.

1 dollar

Cubs Win! 4 in a freaking row!!! 500 baby!

Come on, Dempster!

I'd let Santo do it on most occasions. The occasional guest conductors would be limited to Bill Murray, Len or former Cubs. There would be no interviews of whoever sings it during the seventh.

Wow...sit down Langerhans!

That has been discussed. The guys in Mississippi mentioned it as well. But he really is a good defensive catcher. My guess is that he'll be traded, but it won't happen unless the Braves get what they really want. He definitely won't be moved for Jacque Jones. The Braves might take Pie and Ohman for him.

Oh crap!

this guy. http://www.the-reel-mccoy.com/movies/2000/images/unbreakable3.jpg

very good point I was thinking that too. Then I realized anyone who can't pick up the sarcasm in a Jacque Jones and Cesar Izturis for ARod trade, is a moron and I don't care if they are apart of NSBB. Now if you wanna talk about the joke being overused, I can get on board with that. On sports talk radio though and several message boards I've seen, people propose trades like that all the time-and they are completely serious. This board isn't exactly immune from that sort of thing http://www.northsidebaseball.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?p=1296556#1296556 Excuse me, but what exactly is crazy about that? Salty's stock has fallen considerably. If you disagree with the idea, fine. Don't imply that I don't know what I'm talking about, please. Salty's stock has fallen so much the Braves called him up to Atlanta. I'm confused. Are premier prospects the only ones called up to the major leagues? Look, the guy is Pie's age and hit .230 in AA last year. He had ONE GOOD YEAR in high A ball. He was a top prospect two years ago. He is still a prospect, but his stock has fallen. I fail to see what is controversial about this. If his name was Frank Smith, no one would even know who he is. Talking to the guys around Mississippi (Braves AA), Salty is still highly thought of in the organization. He won't be given away. He'll be traded for a very good player or not at all. He's still young. At the time of his call-up he was hitting 309/404/617, with 7 2b and 6 HR in 22 games. Yes, he had a bad year last year, but his ceiling is very high. He's a switch hitting catcher with excellent defensive skills. You may think his stock is down, but it's not. Ask around baseball. The Braves still consider him one if not the top prospect in their organization. He wouldn't be offered cheaply no matter what he did last season. The Braves believe his stats in April are more indicative of his abilities.

The Cards are having a really bad year.

Xenophobia is grand, ain't it!

It's always going to be blacked out if the start time is earlier than 6 PM.

Ouch! It keeps getting worse for them.

I think he keeps dropping it because the shoulder is fatigued due to overuse or injury.