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<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Cubs Trying to Move Fukudome
David Kaplan posted 13 minutes ago | no comments
Several baseball sources have confirmed to me that the Chicago Cubs have been extremely active in trying to move Kosuke Fukudome to open up regular playing time for rookie Tyler Colvin. Fukudome is owed approximately 8 million dollars for the remainder of this season and an additional 14 million for 2011.
My sources tell me that Cubs GM Jim Hendry has offered to pick up the bulk of the remaining dollars on the 2010 commitment and half of the money in 2011 but so far has found no takers for the under performing right fielder.
I have also been told that upper management is being extremely patient despite the poor performance of the Cubs so far in 2010. They will wait a few more weeks and evaluate the club's position at that time before they determine a course of action in advance of the July 31 trade deadline.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Maybe I should have posted this in the Hendry's failures thread [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ph34r.gif[/img] The notion that we need to move Fuk to "open up regular playing time for Colvin" seems a bit silly. Hendry needs to just step up and tell Lou to swap Fuk and Colvin's roles. At that point, we'd need to get Fuk off the roster because he's a waste of space.
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I'm not sure any of that qualifies as new information, except maybe the part about being willing to pay most of the contract.
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Fukudome will always be sort of a mystery to me. He has had stretches where he has looked like the smartest, most patient hitter in baseball. And other times he looks absolutely overmatched by everyone.
I can't get too mad at Hendry for this one, though. I think some of Fuk's failings were things that simply couldn't be predicted. The long schedule, the cultural differences -- I'm guessing he feels lonely and isolated at times. I think some of those intangible elements have played into his inability to sustain long stretches of success.
Maybe a new team would give him a spark. A team with another Japanese player on the roster might help, too.
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Like Fuk has been this team's problem. Is it his .370 OBP or his 112 OPS+ that's holding this team back? Maybe it's his terrific OF defense that's the problem?
Unless he can be traded for an upgrade at 2B, I don't see the point. The OF rotation has been anything but the problem this year.
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<!--quoteo(post=102460:date=Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM:name=ruby23)-->QUOTE (ruby23 @ Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Like Fuk has been this team's problem. Is it his .370 OBP or his 112 OPS+ that's holding this team back? Maybe it's his terrific OF defense that's the problem?
Unless he can be traded for an upgrade at 2B, I don't see the point. The OF rotation has been anything but the problem this year.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I hadn't looked at his stats in a while. I assumed with all of this talk, that he was performing much worse. I'm not sure if we switch Fuk's and Colvin's roles if Colvin's stats would look any better than Fuk's.
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<!--quoteo(post=102460:date=Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM:name=ruby23)-->QUOTE (ruby23 @ Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Like Fuk has been this team's problem. Is it his .370 OBP or his 112 OPS+ that's holding this team back? Maybe it's his terrific OF defense that's the problem?
Unless he can be traded for an upgrade at 2B, I don't see the point. The OF rotation has been anything but the problem this year.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Agreed. Unless we're blowing the whole thing up, which isn't happening. Fuk seems to get shit on pretty unfairly by the majority of Cubs fans, IMO. I'll take a guy with a .370-.375 OBP with outstanding RF defense on my team any day.
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That all may be true, but that is still not the type of production that you'd want out of a RF.
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Fuk is an OK role player. Unfortunately, he's getting paid like an All Star.
He'ld be great on a AL team like the Red Sox, Yanks, Angels where he would continue to get on base regularly but not be expected to drive in 70-90 runs.
The guy was an MVP in Japan and starts off the year like he'll be a terror so expectations are regularly raised only to be shattered by summer.
It's a shame that he hasn't put it together and the Cubs haven't found a way to help him be more successful. The guy seems like an all around professional.
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<!--quoteo(post=102464:date=Jun 22 2010, 02:59 PM:name=Brock)-->QUOTE (Brock @ Jun 22 2010, 02:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=102460:date=Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM:name=ruby23)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ruby23 @ Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Like Fuk has been this team's problem. Is it his .370 OBP or his 112 OPS+ that's holding this team back? Maybe it's his terrific OF defense that's the problem?
Unless he can be traded for an upgrade at 2B, I don't see the point. The OF rotation has been anything but the problem this year.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Agreed. Unless we're blowing the whole thing up, which isn't happening. Fuk seems to get shit on pretty unfairly by the majority of Cubs fans, IMO. I'll take a guy with a .370-.375 OBP with outstanding RF defense on my team any day.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Are you willing to pay $14 MM for 55-60 RBIs from a platoon RF?
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<!--quoteo(post=102475:date=Jun 22 2010, 03:43 PM:name=1060Ivy)-->QUOTE (1060Ivy @ Jun 22 2010, 03:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=102464:date=Jun 22 2010, 02:59 PM:name=Brock)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brock @ Jun 22 2010, 02:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=102460:date=Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM:name=ruby23)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ruby23 @ Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Like Fuk has been this team's problem. Is it his .370 OBP or his 112 OPS+ that's holding this team back? Maybe it's his terrific OF defense that's the problem?
Unless he can be traded for an upgrade at 2B, I don't see the point. The OF rotation has been anything but the problem this year.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Agreed. Unless we're blowing the whole thing up, which isn't happening. Fuk seems to get shit on pretty unfairly by the majority of Cubs fans, IMO. I'll take a guy with a .370-.375 OBP with outstanding RF defense on my team any day.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Are you willing to pay $14 MM for 55-60 RBIs from a platoon RF?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Isn't that better than paying $10 MM for nothing?
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I'm with Ruby on this one. Trading Fuk isn't a bad thing but for what and and what cost? I want to see more upside for eating that dough than more starts for Colvin.
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<!--quoteo(post=102475:date=Jun 22 2010, 03:43 PM:name=1060Ivy)-->QUOTE (1060Ivy @ Jun 22 2010, 03:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=102464:date=Jun 22 2010, 02:59 PM:name=Brock)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brock @ Jun 22 2010, 02:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=102460:date=Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM:name=ruby23)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ruby23 @ Jun 22 2010, 02:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Like Fuk has been this team's problem. Is it his .370 OBP or his 112 OPS+ that's holding this team back? Maybe it's his terrific OF defense that's the problem?
Unless he can be traded for an upgrade at 2B, I don't see the point. The OF rotation has been anything but the problem this year.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Agreed. Unless we're blowing the whole thing up, which isn't happening. Fuk seems to get shit on pretty unfairly by the majority of Cubs fans, IMO. I'll take a guy with a .370-.375 OBP with outstanding RF defense on my team any day.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Are you willing to pay $14 MM for 55-60 RBIs from a platoon RF?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I've never been under the impression that Fuk was going to come here and be a big RBI guy. Yes it would be nice if he didn't suck vs. LHP. And yes he is overpaid (Isn't the majority of this team?). But if Lee and Ramirez were having average years, along with Soriano and Byrd, the middle of the lineup would (hypothetically) be fine. IMO, two of this team's biggest weaknesses are defense and OBP, the two things that Fuk actually does well. So if we're still trying to win games, do we really want to weaken two areas that this team pretty much sucks at even with him around?
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If it frees up even a tiny bit of payroll so that we can do other things, I'd rather trade Fuk than pay the full $22 mil left on his contract for a PT player, and especially one who disappears for an entire half every season. I don't see how he helps us off the bench at his current salary. That said, if we are just dumping him and get nothing in return, then that obviously changes the equation.
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<!--quoteo(post=102479:date=Jun 22 2010, 04:03 PM:name=Brock)-->QUOTE (Brock @ Jun 22 2010, 04:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=102475:date=Jun 22 2010, 03:43 PM:name=1060Ivy)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (1060Ivy @ Jun 22 2010, 03:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->
Are you willing to pay $14 MM for 55-60 RBIs from a platoon RF?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I've never been under the impression that Fuk was going to come here and be a big RBI guy. Yes it would be nice if he didn't suck vs. LHP. And yes he is overpaid (Isn't the majority of this team?). But if Lee and Ramirez were having average years, along with Soriano and Byrd, the middle of the lineup would (hypothetically) be fine. IMO, two of this team's biggest weaknesses are defense and OBP, the two things that Fuk actually does well. So if we're still trying to win games, do we really want to weaken two areas that this team pretty much sucks at even with him around?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So when the Cubs signed him - a left handed corner outfielder who was MVP of his league - you weren't expecting more than 55-60 RBIs out of him?
My recollection was that expectations were in the 70-95 range with the lower end due to postponing for lefties.
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Fukodome himself isn't the problem. The problem is that our manager sees him as one of 3 RF candidates, essentially relegating Colvin to the role of a very part-timer. As long as Fukodome is on the roster, Lou is going to be giving him at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the starts. We know that. Trying to trade him for anything but another bad contract is going to be close to impossible, but JH has pulled off miracles before. In the meantime, it is up to JH to have a pow-wow with Lou about how he sees Fukodome's role on the team.
I've always said that Fukodome is by far the most fundamentally complete player on the team. He bunts, runs smart on the bases, takes pitches, plays solid OF defense, and he has a lot of intangibles. While all of this is true, he is not going to be the future of this ballclub. Colvin in less at-bats has more extra base hits, he has a higher batting average, his .OPS is 165 points higher than Fukodome's, and he's got better speed. If salary wasn't an issue, Colvin would have already been starting now for at least a month.
Our outfield rotation in general is hardly the problem in any way on this team. Even Soriano's defense has been fairly steady since the first 2 weeks of the season. Dealing Fukodome isn't about getting rid of a bad player in any fashion; it's about 2 things... (1) freeing up even a portion of his salary for off-season flexibility, and (2) removing an obstacle from Colvin's path to starting the majority of our games in RF.
Ricketts said he's committed to developing from within. We've already got Castro playing SS (a bit premature in my opinion, but what the hell do I know), Cashner and Stevens in the bullpen (and Russell will be back, as well), and Colvin waiting for AB's in at least 1/3 of our games. Before long, Colvin will be gettiing the overwhelming majority of AB's IMO, even if Ricketts has to pull a Steinbrenner and order him to play Colvin (again, just my opinion). For what it's worth, if we do manage to move Fukodome for even an average prospect and wind up eating $10-12M worth of salary, it's worth it. It will still free us up of approximately $6M in payroll for next season... add that to Lilly, Lee, and Nady's salaries, and we've got the coin to add either a major piece at first base or in the rotation, as well as upgrade from Howry in the pen. Throwing away so much money is hardly good business, but it makes sense for the direction of the team... and let's face it, Fukodome was NOT even remotely productive in any month of September or the post-season when we got there. And Sam Fuld is a more than adequate 5th OF in the meantime. I hope JH can get it done, and I hope we can move Fukodome to a team in contention (like the Yankees or Red Sox, where they're desperate for a solid feilding corner OF).
"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." Albert Einstein
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