05-21-2009, 07:03 PM
1. The Padres are not trading A. Gonzales. He's 26, he's cheap, and he's one of the best players in baseball. Literally, top ten. Since there is no Cub who is that good, we'd have to trade <i>two</i> young, cheap stars to get him, like Soto and Marmol. And Jim would never make that trade, nor should he.
2. Peavy would be stupid to give the go-ahead to a trade unless he could force the new team to pick up his huge option. As someone said, that's his bargaining chip. (unless he <i>really</i> wants to be a Cub, which, luckily for us, seems possible).
3. I kinda agree with Clapp and rok that Soto's value is larger than it seems, because catchers are so damn hard to find. He brings value to the Cubs even when he's not hitting, and there's a good chance he <i>will</i> start hitting.
4. I disagree with Clapp that D.Lee is an above-average 1st baseman anymore. I'm thrilled that he's started to hit a little. But he <i>sucked</i> in April, and his glove has gone from best in MLB, to very average. I'll always like him as a person, but if I were Lou, I'd be giving Hoff a <i>lot</i> more playing time at first; not a strict platoon, but a just lot more AB's.
2. Peavy would be stupid to give the go-ahead to a trade unless he could force the new team to pick up his huge option. As someone said, that's his bargaining chip. (unless he <i>really</i> wants to be a Cub, which, luckily for us, seems possible).
3. I kinda agree with Clapp and rok that Soto's value is larger than it seems, because catchers are so damn hard to find. He brings value to the Cubs even when he's not hitting, and there's a good chance he <i>will</i> start hitting.
4. I disagree with Clapp that D.Lee is an above-average 1st baseman anymore. I'm thrilled that he's started to hit a little. But he <i>sucked</i> in April, and his glove has gone from best in MLB, to very average. I'll always like him as a person, but if I were Lou, I'd be giving Hoff a <i>lot</i> more playing time at first; not a strict platoon, but a just lot more AB's.
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance