No. 21 in RF and the Lowe-down
Provided Milton Bradley passes his physical Thursday morning, I expect the Cubs to introduce him during a Wrigley Field news conference Thursday afternoon. When they put a Cubs jersey on him, I also epxect that jersey to sport a No. 21 on the back. Yeah, they're giving away Jason Marquis' number already. Remember the hue and cry when Marquis took "Sammy Sosa's" No. 21 a couple years ago. Turns out Marquis had always worn 21, and Bradley has worn it, too. It'll be fun to see a No. 21 in right field who can throw the ball.
There have been and will be a lot of pitchers' names thrown out there as Cubs GM Jim Hendry continues his shopping. If the Cubs go outside the organization, I'd still put my money on Hendry somehow landing Jake Peavy from the Padres, unless the new San Diego ownership pledges to spend money and keep Peavy.
Here are some other names:
--Derek Lowe. The Cubs got an eyeful of Lowe in Game 1 of the NLDS last October, as Lowe picked up the victory by going 6 innings. Lowe is a groundball pitcher who might look nice at Wrigley Field. His groundout-to-air-out ratio of 2.48 ranked second in the NL to Brandon Webb's ridiculous 3.13. However, at 35, Lowe is older than anybody currently on the Cubs' roster. I doubt the Cubs would go out two or three years at the dough Lowe feels he can command.
--Andy Pettitte. Possible, but he hasn't been the subject of intense internal discussions at Wrigley. He's still probably looking for more than what the Cubs want to pay.
--Tim Redding. Tim Redding? Forget about it. The Cubs would be better off giving the ball to Chad Gaudin as a starter.
--Ben Sheets. The Cubs have seen Sheets about 874 times in all of those games against the Brewers. Despite making 31 starts last year, Sheets' injury history has teams wary. The Cubs probably wouldn't mind a one-year deal, but they'd lose a top draft pick for signing Sheets to any kind of a deal. Sheets might be the most interesting name out there that nobody's mentioned, but I don't see it happening with the Cubs.
Talk to you guys from Wrigley tomorrow if all goes to plan.
As far as Sheets goes, I know his injury history scares most teams away, but I doubt it would scare the Cubs off. If Bradley's injury history didn't scare off Hendry, nobody's should. They say two things in life are certain: death and taxes. I'd like to add one to that: Milton Bradley getting injured. I can't in my wildest dreams see him in a Cubs lineup come October.
Bruce,
3/$30M is being reported but there was some talk that the third year is a vesting option based on games played.
any confirmation on the deal specifics?
http://thecubreporter.com
He's still relatively young and has good stuff. Is he currently not on the radar based on previous rumors regarding his contract demands? He'd be perfect on a one-year deal.
Is Freddy Garcia worth a one-year deal with incentives?
I haven't heard his name mentioned in conjunction with the Cubs. I'll ask.
Cincy, Young's contract extension kicks in next year, 5yr/80mil. Plus his power numbers have been declining for the last three years, a tough thing to eat since he play's in Arlington, a homerdome.
Lowe has made a minimum of 32 starts each of the last 7 seasons. How is that in any way like Sheets? 14-11 last year, 3.24 ERA, 211 innings. Yeah..that's terrible.
Bradley is an upgrade over DeRosa if he can play 120-140 games. But, he can't play 3B, he can't play 2B, or SS. DeRosa could, and for half the price. Oh, and without the DH, will he be able to play 120-140 games? Bradley is a huge risk. I'd rather have had Abreu.
I never compared Sheets with Lowe. I simply reported what appears to be the Cubs' position on each. Lowe had a nice year. At this point, the Cubs don't seem inclined to go in that direction. Nor is Sheets at the top of their list. That's the only similarity between the two.
If South Holland's Mark Mulder is healty, Jim Henry should look into signing him. The Cubs
need another left handed pitcher.
Chuck P
Last report I saw on Mulder, on ESPN.com, the arm was no healthier than the end of last year and he was trying a new motion to ease the burden. Not a good sign. A towel drill waiting to happen. I'd rather get a lefty reliever and give Sean Marshall his opportunity to step up.
Bardley vs. Derosa
Bradley: 30years old (04/18/78) Averages 74 games a year. 62games a year last 3 with 126 played last year the most since 2004.
G AB R 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
817 2867 440 170 14 103 399 1310 389 616 74 35 .370 .457 .280
DeRosa:33 yearas old (02/15/75) Averages 81 games a year however partime player first 8 years in the league. 144 games a year the last 3 since becoming everyday player.
G AB R 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
893 2650 406 151 10 69 352 1118 252 485 18 13 .348 .422 .279
If Bradley can stay healthy and that's a big if it's a nice pick up, DeRosa was great for the Cub and hated to see him get shipped out it's too bad they couldn't keep him and add Bradley. When Bradley is healthy(weather it's a hundread plus games let's hope or 50) he does produce and would fit nicely in this Cubs line up with guys on base in front of him.
Better take a closer look at Bradleys numbers, he has never driven in any more than 72 rbis. Nice, Derosa had 83..last year and played 150 plus games.
Marquis....
The Cubs lose 30 starts, 200 innings,who makes up that difference ?
I doubt Peavy , if he does come to the Cubs wont be till July. Moorad is no dummy.
Want to buy a team with a Cy Young pitcher or without one ?
And Derek Lowe is Ben Sheets, never healthy and cant count on em. Dumb move.
The Cubs have pitching fellas..
Bruce have not heard on the catchers deal, have they signed anyone , and why the hell are the Cubs not bringing back Henry Blanco...Paul Bako..stupid move if that is the case.
What would you do Ed? Everyone and their brother know the Cubs have to get left handed. Who was the better alternative?
I do agree on Blanco. I can only handle so many Koyie Hill stories in one year. Nice at the time, but everytime I see him on TV with his fingers sticking out it drives me nuts.
Look, Bradley will play 130+ games with Fukudome spelling him in right and Johnson in center. He should make the routine play, but his OBP and offensive talent should be a welcome addition. Enough of the baggage stories.
Hmm...Didn't AJ Pierzynski get a reputation of being a jag in SF? Isn't he the spark plug and high energy guy that keeps the Sox going, and wins games by himself? I'm not saying Bradley is AJ, but give the guy a chance.
What everyone here should worry about is: 1. how healthy is this team in September, because unless they all got ripped and fall on curbs they should run away and hide in a very WEAK NL central.....2. Can Hendry address any injuries, or glaring weaknesses between now and July 31st?........3. IS this team "built" for the playoffs?
Bradley drove in 77RBIs just last year. DeRosa had 83RBIs in 150 games while Bradley drove in 6 less runs in 24 less games. It's unfortunately that people's perceptions of Bradley are clouding the ability to judge him fairly as a player.
Although, like Bruce implied, RBIs aren't exactly the best judgement of a players ability.
Derek Lowe has started 32 or more games every year since 2002 and prior to that year he was a reliever. Sheets has made at least 31 starts 4 of the past 7 years.
How can you say Bradley isn't being judged fairly? Does this being his 7th team in 10 yrs not tell you anything? How about that he just had his best season, leading the American league in OBP and making the All-Star team, yet the Rangers weren't too interested in bringing him back? Should his injury and temper histories be ignored?
They are largely a function of players getting on base in front of you. The year Derrek Lee hit .335 with 46 homers, he drove in a grand total of 107 runs. And with a league-leading 50 doubles that year, you'd figure he have 125-130 RBI. But when Juan Pierre and Neifi Perez are not getting on base in front of you, you're not going to have as many RBI chances. DeRosa's RBI jumped from 72 to 87 from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, the Cubs led the league on on-base percentage. Guys got on, and he hit.
On the pitching, I would not have a problem at all with the Cubs opening the season with the staff they had, provided Marshall shows in spring training he can nail down the job.
I see Micheal Young's name floating around out there... I know JH has worked frequently with Texas... pluging him into the #2 hole would be solid. 200+ hits in 5 of his last 6 seasons and a gold glove last year. 6 mil per isn't bad for a 5-time all star... Theriot and Pie?
I'd much rather the Cubs sign a free agent like Lowe or Sheets than trade for Peavy. The Cubs farm system is poor as it is, if they trade valuable pieces like Vitters, Castillo, etc. they leave themselves an extremely thin farm system that will hinder their ability to make trades in the future.
If Lowe would take a two year deal he is the best option, given his clean bill of health. Hopefully the ownership situation resolves itself soon so the Cubs will be able to add another quality starting pitcher.
Castillo is blocked by Soto. If they figure Soto is gone in 3 or 4 years, there's bigger trouble than we think. Vitters is supposed to be a prime prospect, but really no one else in the system is. The Cubs have a 1 or 2 year window to win it all, they need to cash in wherever possible. Otherwise, Josh Vitters will be the centerpiece in the 2012 lineup in much the same way Steve Henderson was in 1981.
I can see him in Wrigley Field. I'm not sure how far out you can go on him in years. I agree for the most part on the farm system. But for the beating it's taken over the last couple years (and it's getting better under Tim Wilken), the Cubs have been able to use it to add guys like Harden. Maybe the best option is to wait. Maybe Marshall or somebody like Mitch Atkins can step up, claim the job and solve some problems without the Cubs having to give up anything or pay too much. I have to believe Hendry will pounce at any chance to get Peavy, though.