Gregg gets the gigg (roster cuts, too)
MESA, Ariz. _ OK, I threw that extra "g" in there as a tribute to Kevin Gregg, who today was named the Cubs' closer by Lou. Gregg beat out a clearly disappointed Carlos Marmol, who will go back to his setup role.
"I said we'd let both pitchers compete here in the spring, and they both pitched well," Lou said. "I'm fortunate that I have two pitchers here that I have confidence in that can do the job. Gregg has come in here and hasn't given up a run all spring. I think leaving spring training, we're a better team the way we've put this thing together."
Gregg said: "I threw the ball well this spring. I came in wanting to show Lou, Larry (pitching coach Rothschild) and Jim (GM Hendry) what I could do on a first-hand basis. I was able to do that here. I've been rewarded with getting the closer's job."
Gregg is 1-0 with an 0.00 ERA in 9 games. He's given up 4 hits in 8 1-3 innings while walking two and striking out 10. Marmol is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA. He has pitched 8 innings, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs while walking one, striking out 10 and hitting five batters.
"Disappointed, yeah, of course it is," Marmol said of the situation, which he seemed to think was preordained. "I can't control this."
Marmol pitched for the Dominican Republic in the WBC but said he didn't feel that didn't make any difference.
"They knew what (they were going) to do before I got here," he said. "That's what I said when I said it was not 'competition.'"
Marmol did admit, though, that the decision was good for the team.
This just in, as they say. The Cubs got their roster down to 30 today. They optioned pitchers Randy Wells and Kevin Hart to Iowa. Sent to minor-league camp were catcher Mark Johnson, infielders Andres Blanco and Esteban German and outfielders Brad Snyder and So Taguchi. So, no pun intended, goes yesterday's little blog fantasy about the Cubs keeping Taguchi over Gathright. I do what I can.
He had another bad game today. I know he doesn't have any options left. But is there any way the Cubs can send him to Triple A still? He makes 2m this season, and some team might not claim him at that price. Are the Cubs allowed to do something like that or do they have to DFA him?
The Cubs can send Gaudin to Triple-A by passing him through outright waivers. *If* he cleared the waivers, that would remove him from the Cubs' 40 man reserve list; he then could be assigned to any of the minor league clubs in the organization (though he would likely file a grievance, with a good chance of winning, if assigned to any club but Iowa without good cause). The Cubs still would be obligated to pay his major league salary, less a pittance that Iowa would pay.
If Gaudin were claimed on outright waivers, the Cubs would have a short period of time to work out a deal to trade him to the claiming team. If no agreement was reached, the claiming team would get him for $20,000. Outright waivers, like release waivers, are irrevocable: the team asking waivers can't change its mind if the player is claimed. Deals of this sort happen at the end of every spring training, usually for a player-to-be-named (whose name often enough turns out to be "cash").
Note that even if Gaudin still had minor league options, he nevertheless would have to pass through waivers (general waivers in this case, which means he could be pulled off the waiver wire if claimed) before he could be optioned to the minors. This is due to a special clause in the options rule that prevents clubs from using minor league options to punish established major leaguers.
All that a DFA (Designation For Assignment) accomplishes is the immediate removal of a player from the organization's 40 man reserve list so that his spot can be given to another player -- which the Cubs don't need at the moment, as their count of reserved contracts stands at 37 (and falling). If the Cubs DFA'd Gaudin, they would still have to do something about him within 10 days: trade him, outright him to the minors (see above), or release him. Since a team gives up all of its leverage when it DFA's a player (the club can't take it back and say, "On second thought, we'd rather keep him"), it's pretty rare for a trade of a DFA'd player to return anything of value.
I'd have to check the terminology. I know they are getting feelers from other teams. Lou doesn't seem enamored of him. I'll let you know.
Wasn't there more upside to having Pie as a fifth outfielder? I know he has a had a rough spring but he is a better defensive OF then Gathright isn't he?
It probably just wasn't going to happen here for Pie, and Lou had seen enough. I don't know if that would have worked.
I'm just not sold on the bench, yet...It seems to me that you have to keep Koyie Hill because he can bat from the right. How is that battle going to end?
I see that Taguchi, German and Blanco were cut. Will the Cubs be keeping them and putting them in Triple A or releasing them after spring training? I was just curious because I think Taguchi and German will be to valueable guys to keep in Triple A, incase there's a injury.
They've been assigned to the minor-league camp. As far as I know, they'll all go. Taguchi knew he probably would start the season at Iowa when the Cubs signed him. My guess is you'll see him at some point. As far as German goes, I'm not sure there's much else out there, so he'll likely to go Iowa, too.
Was indeed more related to health and not getting Marmol to the closer position.
A reasonable decision, but I hope Gregg does the job. Any truth to what was reported when the trade was made - that Gregg was about to be non-tendered by Florida before the trade?
I think it was money related, not health related. Hendry couldn't spend $8 million on Woody and he ended up getting more than that anyway.
Florida is a team that certainly was in position to non-tender an arb-eligible guy. Whether they would have done so or not, I don't know. Hendry probably wanted to grab him before he became a non-tendered free agent. But that's all speculation on my part.
Ted Lilly gave up a leadoff single to Grady Sizemore. Then, Mark DeRosa (THE MOST POPULAR CUB EVER) crushed a homer to left field. DeRo seemed pretty happy before the game. He made the rounds of talking with his old Cubs teammates. He also had a nice visit with Lou. So much for that media-created "rift." Lilly settled down in the first. Of the 15 pitches he threw, 14 were strikes.
This time, he hit a 2-1 pitch in the third. The ball hit halfway up the scoreboard beyond the left-field berm.
But he did hit it high off the hitter's backdrop in the fifth inning on the first pitch.
for the Cubs, but I still think he was the logical choice to go to get a more versatile lineup.