01-15-2009, 06:05 AM
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->But general manager Jim Hendry said Wednesday that Mike Fontenot will compete with Miles for the second base job in spring training.
"Absolutely," Hendry said. "I think when we all got done, and all the things that got batted around in the last couple of months, we forget how good a player he was last year."
Fontenot hit .360 after the All-Star break and .366 in September, but he wasn't in the starting lineup the first two playoff games as manager Lou Piniella played DeRosa at second and used slumping Kosuke Fukudome in right field. Miles, a 5-foot-8-inch switch-hitter, also will get some playing time at short, spelling Ryan Theriot and playing alongside Fontenot as a pint-sized double-play combo.
"Then you could get four or five lefties in the lineup one day," Hendry said, "which I think is going to be beneficial."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Piniella has said he expects competition this spring between Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg for the closer's job, though most expect Marmol to be anointed by mid-March.
"That's really for Lou to decide," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "But Carlos has proved what kind of job he can do in that role, and I would be surprised if you run across anybody who can do it better. We're confident in what he can do, and he'll have help out there with Kevin."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno and Rich Hill are out of options, meaning they will have to clear waivers if they're not on the Opening Day roster. None of them will be at this weekend's Cubs Convention, and all three figure to be with different teams by the end of spring training, if they're not dealt beforehand.
The Cubs have spoken to Rich Aurilia's agent and may offer Aurilia a one-year deal to take Cedeno's spot and back up Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee.
"We're a long ways from camp," Hendry said. "Maybe there's a potential addition we don't know about who could serve a different role in the utility situation."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Hendry will meet with the new owner of the Cubs as soon Tribune Co. completes the sale. He'll then find out whether he can find a way to fit Jake Peavy's $63 million contract into the Cubs' budget. Otherwise, the Cubs will look for a veteran starter willing to sign a one-year deal. Left-hander Randy Wolf is among the available free agents whose price tags are dropping. For now, Sean Marshall is the odds-on favorite for the fifth starter's role.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->New outfielder Joey Gathright said he no longer jumps over cars, as he did on a video made famous on YouTube. Gathright started doing the stunt during his sophomore year after high school football practice because he said he was "bored."
"I don't know why I did it," Gathright said. "It's probably a dumb thing. Still, I kept doing it. But now I'm not allowed to anymore."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Hendry said the Cubs are not planning to bring back Henry Blanco, the backup catcher who remains unsigned. Hendry is looking for a left-handed-hitting, defense-oriented catcher to compete with Koyie Hill in spring training.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Zambrano spent part of his off-season vacationing in Italy and is said to be relaxed and ready to reassert himself as the staff ace. If Zambrano, Dempster, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden perform at their usual levels, the Cubs should be playoff-bound again—not that anyone is looking ahead.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->While expressing confidence in his starting rotation and bullpen, Hendry also talked up the versatility of his lineup, to which switch-hitting outfielder Milton Bradley was added last week as a free agent. Bradley could hit fourth, between right-handed hitters Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.
"He's definitely a middle-of-the-lineup guy," Hendry said of Bradley. That'll be up to Lou, how he and Gerald (hitting coach Perry) decide to do it at the end of camp. We feel good about the possibilities.
"Milton can hit in a lot of places, as you know. With (being) such a high-on-base-percentage guy and still with the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, it's a nice situation. I'm sure Derrek and Ramy are two of the happier guys that we acquired him."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Various articles
"Absolutely," Hendry said. "I think when we all got done, and all the things that got batted around in the last couple of months, we forget how good a player he was last year."
Fontenot hit .360 after the All-Star break and .366 in September, but he wasn't in the starting lineup the first two playoff games as manager Lou Piniella played DeRosa at second and used slumping Kosuke Fukudome in right field. Miles, a 5-foot-8-inch switch-hitter, also will get some playing time at short, spelling Ryan Theriot and playing alongside Fontenot as a pint-sized double-play combo.
"Then you could get four or five lefties in the lineup one day," Hendry said, "which I think is going to be beneficial."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Piniella has said he expects competition this spring between Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg for the closer's job, though most expect Marmol to be anointed by mid-March.
"That's really for Lou to decide," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "But Carlos has proved what kind of job he can do in that role, and I would be surprised if you run across anybody who can do it better. We're confident in what he can do, and he'll have help out there with Kevin."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno and Rich Hill are out of options, meaning they will have to clear waivers if they're not on the Opening Day roster. None of them will be at this weekend's Cubs Convention, and all three figure to be with different teams by the end of spring training, if they're not dealt beforehand.
The Cubs have spoken to Rich Aurilia's agent and may offer Aurilia a one-year deal to take Cedeno's spot and back up Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee.
"We're a long ways from camp," Hendry said. "Maybe there's a potential addition we don't know about who could serve a different role in the utility situation."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Hendry will meet with the new owner of the Cubs as soon Tribune Co. completes the sale. He'll then find out whether he can find a way to fit Jake Peavy's $63 million contract into the Cubs' budget. Otherwise, the Cubs will look for a veteran starter willing to sign a one-year deal. Left-hander Randy Wolf is among the available free agents whose price tags are dropping. For now, Sean Marshall is the odds-on favorite for the fifth starter's role.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->New outfielder Joey Gathright said he no longer jumps over cars, as he did on a video made famous on YouTube. Gathright started doing the stunt during his sophomore year after high school football practice because he said he was "bored."
"I don't know why I did it," Gathright said. "It's probably a dumb thing. Still, I kept doing it. But now I'm not allowed to anymore."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Hendry said the Cubs are not planning to bring back Henry Blanco, the backup catcher who remains unsigned. Hendry is looking for a left-handed-hitting, defense-oriented catcher to compete with Koyie Hill in spring training.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Zambrano spent part of his off-season vacationing in Italy and is said to be relaxed and ready to reassert himself as the staff ace. If Zambrano, Dempster, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden perform at their usual levels, the Cubs should be playoff-bound again—not that anyone is looking ahead.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->While expressing confidence in his starting rotation and bullpen, Hendry also talked up the versatility of his lineup, to which switch-hitting outfielder Milton Bradley was added last week as a free agent. Bradley could hit fourth, between right-handed hitters Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.
"He's definitely a middle-of-the-lineup guy," Hendry said of Bradley. That'll be up to Lou, how he and Gerald (hitting coach Perry) decide to do it at the end of camp. We feel good about the possibilities.
"Milton can hit in a lot of places, as you know. With (being) such a high-on-base-percentage guy and still with the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, it's a nice situation. I'm sure Derrek and Ramy are two of the happier guys that we acquired him."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Various articles
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