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I'd love Matsui's bat, but he hasn't played in the field all year, and hasn't played RF at all. We won't have the money for Vlad, Bay or Holliday, and I suspect the Yankees will probably be in the running for all 3 of those guys. Ordonez' $18m option for next season has vested... Not much out there beyond Abreu and Damon for a LH bat.
Per Cot's:
Bobby Abreu LAA
Garret Anderson ATL
Rick Ankiel STL
Rocco Baldelli BOS
Jason Bay BOS
Marlon Byrd TEX
Mike Cameron MIL
Frank Catalanotto TEX
Endy Chavez SEA
Coco Crisp * KC
Carl Crawford * TB
Johnny Damon NYY
David Dellucci CLE
Jermaine Dye * CWS
Darin Erstad HOU
Cliff Floyd SD
Ryan Freel TEX
Brian Giles SD
Ken Griffey Jr. SEA
Vladimir Guerrero LAA
Matt Holliday STL
Geoff Jenkins * PHI
Reed Johnson CHC
Andruw Jones TEX
Austin Kearns * WAS
Hideki Matusi NYY
Jason Michaels CLE
Xavier Nady NYY
Magglio Ordonez * DET
Manny Ramirez * LAD
Dave Roberts SF
Gary Sheffield DET
Randy Winn SF
* - player whose current contract includes 2010 option
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[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/puke.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/puke.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/puke.gif[/img]
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I'm actually wondering if the Tigers would do a straight up trade: Bradley for Ordonez. Ordonez is going to be 36 and he had an injury riddled/unproductive 2009. Swap our problem for their more expensive problem?
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I think we are more likely to trade for one than sign one.
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If Damon could still play CF I'd like him, but he can't.
The thing you need to remember is that all Cardinals fans and all White Sox fans are very bad people. It's a fact that has been scientifically proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Being a Cubs fan is the only path to rightousness and piousness. Cardinal and White Sox fans exist to be the dark, diabolical forces that oppose us. They are the yin to our yang, the Joker to our Batman, the demon to our angel, the insurgence to our freedom, the oil to our water, the club to our baby seal. Their happiness occurs only in direct conflict with everything that is pure and good in this world.
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he's lefty, and he's fast: two of Hendry's favorite qualities.<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec--><b>Pie</b> In The Face
by Dave Cameron - September 21, 2009 -
After suspending Milton Bradley for the rest of the season, the Cubs have made official what was already assumed – they’ll be dumping him on whatever team is willing to take the largest portion of his contract this winter. That will also put them back in the market for an outfielder. Not to throw salt in an open wound, but perhaps they should call the Orioles about Felix Pie.
The busted Cubs prospect is thriving in Baltimore of late, as he’s gotten regular playing time the last five weeks and making it pay off. Since August 14th, Pie is hitting .293/.366/.576, showing patience (12 walks in 112 PA) and power (13 of his 29 hits have been for extra bases) and finally living up to the potential he was known for in the minor leagues. With this late season surge, Pie has raised his overall line for the year to a respectable .258/.326/.436, making him essentially a league average hitter. That’s pretty nifty for a 24-year-old quality defensive outfielder.
Pie’s future in Baltimore appears limited, however. With Adam Jones and Nick Markakis locking down two outfield spots, Pie’s only hope for playing time is to beat out Nolan Reimold for the left field job, or more likely, to find some kind of job-sharing role that gives him a few hundred plate appearances per season. Given his upside, it’s way too early to pigeonhole Pie into some kind of fourth outfielder role, so he’ll likely have more value to another club than he will to the O’s. That makes him a pretty obvious trade candidate this winter.
Perhaps the Cubs won’t want to go down that road again – after all, reacquiring him would be tantamount to admitting that the series of deals that netted them Aaron Heilman was a mistake. But for a team in need of a young, cheap center fielder with upside, Pie is going to be an intriguing option this winter.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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
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One of the better suggestions I've heard, from a Buster Olney chat:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Alex (Chicago)
So what do the Cubs do going forward about RF next year? Do they go out and trade for someone or stay in house?
Buster Olney (1:41 PM)
If I were running the Cubs, I'd stick Fukudome and Johnson in right field and go get a legitimate CF, or get <b>Carl Crawford</b> and move him to CF. That would make the pitching and defense better. They need to get more athletic ASAP.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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
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<!--quoteo(post=63935:date=Sep 21 2009, 06:13 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Sep 21 2009, 06:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->One of the better suggestions I've heard, from a Buster Olney chat:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->Alex (Chicago)
So what do the Cubs do going forward about RF next year? Do they go out and trade for someone or stay in house?
Buster Olney (1:41 PM)
If I were running the Cubs, I'd stick Fukudome and Johnson in right field and go get a legitimate CF, or get <b>Carl Crawford</b> and move him to CF. That would make the pitching and defense better. They need to get more athletic ASAP.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
sure. We should just go "get" Carl Crawford. That shouldn't be tough.
I wish that I believed in Fate. I wish I didn't sleep so late. I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders.
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<!--quoteo(post=63941:date=Sep 21 2009, 07:14 PM:name=BT)-->QUOTE (BT @ Sep 21 2009, 07:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=63935:date=Sep 21 2009, 06:13 PM:name=KBwsb)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KBwsb @ Sep 21 2009, 06:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->One of the better suggestions I've heard, from a Buster Olney chat:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->Alex (Chicago)
So what do the Cubs do going forward about RF next year? Do they go out and trade for someone or stay in house?
Buster Olney (1:41 PM)
If I were running the Cubs, I'd stick Fukudome and Johnson in right field and go get a legitimate CF, or get <b>Carl Crawford</b> and move him to CF. That would make the pitching and defense better. They need to get more athletic ASAP.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
sure. We should just go "get" Carl Crawford. That shouldn't be tough.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well, at least we have $21 Million less to go "get" him with. That's always good.
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
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<!--quoteo(post=63935:date=Sep 21 2009, 06:13 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Sep 21 2009, 06:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->One of the better suggestions I've heard, from a Buster Olney chat:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->Alex (Chicago)
So what do the Cubs do going forward about RF next year? Do they go out and trade for someone or stay in house?
Buster Olney (1:41 PM)
If I were running the Cubs, I'd stick Fukudome and Johnson in right field and go get a legitimate CF, or get <b>Carl Crawford</b> and move him to CF. That would make the pitching and defense better. They need to get more athletic ASAP.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
"They need to get more athletic?"
Um...no. That isn't the problem. We need guys who can hit and get on base. Everything else is secondary and tertiary. "Athleticism," is nice, I guess, but it shouldn't high on our list of needs.
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With the middle infield situation, and the ight fielde playing center, I think athleticism needs to be pretty high on our list of needs.
The entire athleticism doesn't matter concept is my main problem with the sabermetics community. Who would ever think that athleticism would be important in athletic competition.
"Drink Up and Beat Off!"
-KBWSB
"Will I be looked on poorly if my religion involved punting little people?"
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<!--quoteo(post=63963:date=Sep 21 2009, 10:14 PM:name=savant)-->QUOTE (savant @ Sep 21 2009, 10:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->With the middle infield situation, and the ight fielde playing center, I think athleticism needs to be pretty high on our list of needs.
The entire athleticism doesn't matter concept is my main problem with the sabermetics community. Who would ever think that athleticism would be important in athletic competition.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's nice to have good athletes, but it's totally overblown in baseball. There is a difference between a great baseball player and a great athlete. Corey Patterson and Felix Pie and great athletes. Prince Fielder is a great baseball player.
I'm just using opposite ends of the spectrum to illustrate what I'm trying to say. A baseball player doesn't need to be fast. In fact, speed is probably the least important "tool" in baseball.
When a baseball GM says, "We need to get more athletic," it's usually a bad sign for that organization. If you can get a great baseball player who is also a great athlete, then it's a nice bonus. But when the Cubs brass start talking about getting "athletes," it makes me worry.
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We should sign Usain Bolt, Pac-man Jones, Ronaldinho and Kimbo Slice because they are good athletes.
If Angelo had picked McClellin, I would have been expecting to hear by training camp that kid has stage 4 cancer, is actually 5'2" 142 lbs, is a chick who played in a 7 - 0 defensive scheme who only rotated in on downs which were 3 and 34 yds + so is not expecting to play a down in the NFL until the sex change is complete and she puts on another 100 lbs. + but this is Emery's first pick so he'll get a pass with a bit of questioning. - 1060Ivy
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You guys who are crying about the good athlete comments are totally looking at this thing in black and white. You seem to imply that you think they will go for a guy like Gathright just because that naughty A word is used.
Why can't it be a Victorino type? Or Carl Crawford? Or a Mark DeRosa type (that's right, believe it or not the all powerful DeRosa is generally regarded as a good athlete)? Derrek Lee is one hell of an athlete, he moves around incredibly well for a guy his size. Why does it have to be a fast guy that sucks at baseball in your mind?
If we had a better athlete at shortstop, maybe we'd have someone with a bit more range to shore up our infield defense. Or a guy at the top of the order. That's right, having a fast guy at the top of the order isn't a bad thing.
Now, I know what you're getting at. I know you don't want Cubs brass to have tunnel vision on the whole athlete idea. Just think for a second though... you're reacting to one freaking comment. Chill out and see what we do.
On a related note, I would actually like to get a base stealing threat on this team for one reason alone... his name is Alfonso Soriano. We're stuck with the guy, we might as well make the best of the situation. If we can get a base stealer with PLATE DISCIPLINE, then we could stick him in front of Soriano and wait for the fastballs to come. I think it's completely unnecessary to pay Chone Figgins $10mil+ per year for that, but a base stealer would still be nice. Maybe Rajai Davis is a possibility. I know the guy has been a career backup up until this year, but he can take a walk and plays a pretty good center field. Maybe he's a late bloomer much like DeRosa? He'll take a trade to get, but I don't think it would take an arm and a leg.
BTW, I just noticed that Abreu had 29 steals this year. Didn't know he had it in him anymore to steal bases.
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Well, Hendry didn't say he was planning to focus on athleticism. Olney said the Cubs should get more athletic, ASAP.
That said, whatever the current buzzword is in Hendry's head, he seems to focus on it to the detriment of everything else.
Last season when the buzz was that we lost to the Dodgers because we were too right-handed? It's all Hendry focused on.
I'm just hoping that if Hendry is around this offseason, he doesn't get it in his head that he needs to sign/trade for a bunch of "athletes." History shows that it won't go all that well. That's all I'm saying.
And I'm not freaking out about it. When Hendry says something about it, then I'll freak out. Again...assuming he's still around.
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