Gameplans
Ok, we’ve seen and heard countless people, including Lou Piniella, talk about how things have to change. We’ve read many people say open-ended and meaningless things like “trade Player X”—the kind of proposals that I normally can’t stand, particularly when the speaker doesn’t have a definite suggestion in mind. Many of the folks who say things like “trade Corey Patterson!” are the same folks who will later say “who the heck are Nate Spears and Carlos Perez? Hendry should have gotten more!”
A few days ago, Bruce Miles wrote a column on how Lou might shake things up, offering the usual things (bring up Pie, trade Jones for anything you can get, find more playing time for Theriot, etc.) None of his proposals seem particularly radical.
It seems to me that what the team needs to do is something fairly dramatic, something that sends a message to the team yet doesn’t put up a white flag on the season. I hate to make such proposals, but I’m about to do it anyway.
I would suggest the Cubs see what it would take to get Jerrod Saltalamacchia—would they trade him for Rich Hill? Better still, how about giving them both a leading #3 starter (Hill) and a legitimate LF (Murton), for Saltalamacchia and minor league SS Elvis Andrus? Perhaps I’m thinking overly optimistically from the Cubs perspective, like fans commonly do with trade talks, but it doesn’t seem like such a deal would be outrageous from either side’s perspective.
After (or maybe at the same time), I would be looking to trade Michael Barrett, most likely to an AL team for use as a DH. I think I don’t need to go into the reasons, but let’s do recognize that in addition to his shortcomings, he is also in a contract year, so his trade value can’t be especially high right now. Still, would a contending team such as Anaheim, Oakland, or Seattle want Barrett as a DH, rather than the likes of Shea Hillenbrand, Jack Cust, or Jose Vidro? Of these, Seattle might be the best fit—would they want him for, say, minor league live arm prospect Chris Tillman?
I don’t know. It seems that deals like this may lead to a better future without hurting the present all that much. I’m sure most of you have other thoughts as well.
Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute
Posted: June 02, 2007 at 05:53 PM |
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I wonder if anything dramatic will happen before the team is sold. (Note, I'm not sure trading Hill really counts as "dramatic" since he's not exactly a big name ... the change to the team would be substantial but trading Z would be dramatic.) Firing Hendry would of course be a nice dramatic first step to fixing this organization.
What's interesting is that this team stinks although most of the major offseason questions (at least in my mind) have been answered pretty positively so far -- Lee's doing nicely, ARAM is doing nicely, Soriano's struggling but not doing awful (and according to UZR, playing great defense so far), DeRosa has hit well, Marquis/Lilly/Hill have pitched great overall, Wuertz/Guzman/Dempster have done pretty well and even Ohman's peripherals are fine. Not everything of course -- 5th starter's left something to be desired, SS is still something of a mess. But I really wasn't expecting problems from Z, Barrett, Howry, Eyre and figured at least 2 of Murton, Floyd, Jones would be fine.
Really, the thing to do would be to trade Z, even if he is my favorite player... I doubt he will resign with the Cubs, regardless of what he says, and certainly he can get you some blue chippers that you can keep, and use other priospcts to get rid of JJ and the like. Barret must go as well.
Once again, for the third time in four years, I find myself watching a team that is very difficult to like.
Why is it so difficult for the Cubs to play fundamental baseball? I thought Lou would have changed that, so maybe the players are just too dumb to understand what it takes to win (you know, hitting the cutoff man, advancing a runner, throwing to the right base, running at a runner caught between two bases, all stuff I learned in Little League).
It's a much better idea to move him into the setup man role, and then overuse him until he throws out his shoulder.
Barrett has enough trouble catching balls that don't knuckle.
I don't see trading Hill as being dramatic. That is simply sarificing a pawn. Something dramatic would be sacrificing your bishop or queen. Hill ain't either one of those. About the only dramatic player move they could make would be to trade Zambrano. Getting rid of Barrett would be somewhat dramatic right now but you probably won't get much for an "old" catcher who currently isn't hitting and isn't very good on defense.
FOr me the dramatic move would be to punt the season and sit the vets or get rid of them.
An outfield of Soriano, Pie, PAgan/Murton. Derrek Lee, Theriot, Aramis, and DeRosa. Who is the best defensive catcher the Cubs have? Then on the mound you play Hill, Lilly, Marquis, Marshall, Guzman/young buck.
Play the youngsters and train and teach them. Make sure you make it clear that you want them to play ball in a certain manner and that not doing so won't be accepted. I would think Lou could handle that.
That would be dramatic and that would send a message to the players in that organization.
Second step or I guess first step and probably the most important step would be to can Hendry bring in a new guy and clean house within the organization. Go right through it and find the guys who are not doing their jobs or won't do their jobs.
That said, there will be someone who needs pitching for the stretch drive and Z would look good in a lot of rotations. If the AL West stays tight Z would look good in an Angels uniform and lord knows most primates have been wondering if the LAA's will EVER trade a prospect.
Any better ideas? The Braves won't take Cesar Izturis and I don't think they'd want Scott Eyre either. Even Donald Veal is floundering.
As for Zambrano, I'm not sure they'd want to take on a guy who, if he stays, is going to want serious money -- for what has been serious underperformance so far. I'm definitely not sure that they'd want to unload a guy like Saltalamaccia for him.
At the same time, if I'm Jim Hendry, it's understandable that I'd want *more* than Saltalamacchia if I'm going to deal Zambrano. I just don't see such a deal happening, though stranger things have happened in the past.
As for "dramatic," perhaps it isn't on the order of trading Zambano, Lee, Ramirez, or Soriano, but it is certainly not a minor roster move to get rid of what is now one of your best starters, and still relatively young at that. Heck, Post #s 2-3 attest to the fact that there is at least some drama to it.
My real point, though, is that the Cubs need to do something more than get another reliever or another bench guy; they need to do something to change the core of the team. Swapping out Barrett for Saltalamacchia is a start.
Rich Hill is very good, but who do you guys think he projects as? His top comps aren't inspiring. After watching Salty play both this year in Atlanta, and a few times in Myrtle Beach, I'm convinced he's the real deal and will be a top 5 catcher in the league for years to come along with McCann and Mauer. I really, really think it would take a king's ransom to pry him away from Atlanta. Seriously, something along the lines of Hill, and well, I don't know what else. Right now, Diaz and Harris are crushing the ball in left, Frenchy and Andruw are set in RF and CF, and the whole infield is set. Thorman is cold right now, but that's where Salty could get stuck if he continues stinking up the joint.
A Big Z would definitely not be appealing to the Braves unless we got him for very little, and only then it would probably be a month or so from now, and again, only if Z turns it around and Cormier, and/or Davies COMPLETELY implode (or big injuries). With Andruw's contract expiring this year, the Braves definitely won't be signing any HUGE contracts I don't believe, so Z would obviously be a 1/2 year lease.
I'm convinced he's the real deal and will be a top 5 catcher in the league for years to come along with McCann and Mauer.
Maybe, maybe not. Even so, though, where's he going to play with the Braves?
Of course, the Cubs never do that, and I'd rather see them wait until Hendry is fired before trying.
Rent-A-Players just haven't been bringing back a ton lately; look at last year's deadline.
Joel Guzman (whose star had seriously faded at the time of the deal) was probably the top prospect dealt.
Bowden, for better or worse, couldn't get his asking price for Soriano (which was rather high) and just took the picks.
Zambrano has got to be hurt and that's going to accrue to the Cub's advantage negotiation-wise. Hard to see them dealing him when other teams can see there's something wrong.
I'd be real surprised if Lou would be up for punting the season and returning to a Devil Ray situation.
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