Hendry will keep working the phones
GM Jim Hendry said today there's no reason not to work up to tomorrow's 3 p.m. deadline to make trades. As you know by now, Hendry traded pitchers Kevin Hart (today's winner) and Jose Ascanio as well as Class A infielder Josh Harrison to the Pirates for lefty reliever John Grabow and lefty starter Tom Gorzelanny.
Grabow will join the team tomorrow in Florida. Gorzelanny, a native of Evergreen Park, will go to Class AAA Iowa.
Grabow will join Sean Marshall in the pen to give the Cubs a 1-2 lefty punch. The 30-year-old Grabow makes $2.3 million this year, and he becomes a free agent in the fall. Gorzelanny began his big-league career with much promise, and Hendry said the Cubs believe he's throwing well again. Hendry said "absolutely" when asked if Gorzelanny figures in the Cubs' plans as a starting pitcher.
The Cubs also optioned pitcher Mitch Atkins to Iowa. Sam Fuld arrived in Chicago in time to jump on the charter for Florida. The Cubs will activate him before tomorrow night's game against the Marlins.
Apparently, there is no inclination to move Marshall to the rotation, but the Cubs will need a starter next Tuesday in Cincinnati. It could be Gorzelanny.
As far as another trade, Hendry says there's nothing hot right now.
"You always keep your options open until the clock strikes the end of it," Jim said. "I don't have anything else where I'm going to call you tonight and say, 'Hey, we got to meet again,' because I don't think anything will happen tonight. I hope something pops up between now and 3 (tomorrow). I wouldn't count on it. We certainly don't shut the door and say it's done. I don't have anything going like this."
Hendry added that former Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan will throw for a second time tonight for Iowa. He wouldn't rule out three lefties in the pen at some point.
Hopefully not for Matt Murton.
Hi Bruce,
Bruce Levine (ESPN 1000) just reported on the Waddle & Silvy show that the Cubs might be looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder to take Reed Johnson's spot. Do you have an idea who Hendry might be looking at?
makes zero sense to me.
Reed has 60 at bats on the year against lefties which averages out to 15 at bats a month. would Hendry REALLY be that stupid to waste trading chips/money on a RH bat for 15 stinkin at bats?
I sure hope not.
Agreed, this should just play Fukedome until Johnson gets back. He could put Soriano in CF against tough lefties and play Fox in left but I wouldn't want to see that either. That would give the Cubs the worst defensive outfield in the league.
they already have one of the worse defensive outfields.....soriano can't even play left....remember his first year? he asked for CF and after a few pre-season games he backed off. too much ground to cover.,...they should platoon Fukudome/Fuld in CF....against a lefty you go with Fukudome in RF.....Fuld in CF and keep soriano in LF.....just my opinion
that is a scary idea. Fukudome is batting like 170 against lefties; he could get back into the bad habit of pulling off the ball and doing his ballerina swings. Putting Sori in center would be awful, just awful. Bradley could play center better but you risk him putting more strain on his legs. There has to be a low cost alternative out there. My guess is it will be after today once players make it through waivers.
that's what you're basing Fuk against LHP i'm guessing?
Last year he had a 370+ OBP.
again, we're talking 15 at bats here over the course of a month.
won't sit Bradley and Fukudome at the same time, that's Lou
How long will it take the omniscent Steve Stone to criticize the trade?
I don't know if I like this deal. I understand that the Cubs needed another lefty in their bullpen but to give up Hart, Ascanio and Harrison for a lefty who does better against righties and has a WHIP of 1.50 doesn't make sense to me. Plus, Grabow has been getting used quite a bit since 2004 (68 app/season before from 2004-08) so he might be close to breaking down. I don't know what Beimel's contract is but I would think he would have been a better value for the guys the Cubs gave up.
Was there an internal issue the Cubs had with Ascanio?
its just a trade. its not a good trade, not a bad trade, the pieces are replacement players with little upside. Ascanio MIGHT be a good relief pitcher and Gorzelany MIGHT be worth the throw in considering he's pitched well in his past, he's pitched well at AAA this year, and his fastball that lost velocity the last two seasons is back to where it was when he was successful.
don't like it. don't hate it. really nothing to even think about to be honest.
Bruce: is it possible to find out WHY Jay Jackson was demoted? didn't look like he was struggling all that much.
Keep in mind that the Cubs gave up three young players that they would have under their control, and for cheap, for years to come to get Grabow, who can walk at the end of the season, and Gorzelanny who may or may not make it.
Organizations get in trouble (big picture) when they let go of their young, cheap players like this.
I was thinking next year Ascanio would take Guzman's role, Guzman would take Marmol's and Marmol would take over Gregg's role when the Cubs let him walk. That's three guys that are relatively cheap. Now they'll either have to re-sign Gregg, find someone who has a big arm to take over a bullpen spot or re-sign Grabow for $2 mil+. With the back-loaded contracts the Cubs have coming up I would think they'd want to keep these young guys like Ascanio/Hart/Wells/Atkins/etc.
I'm also curious about the Jackson demotion.
why everyone is bashing this trade so much. It is not like they gave up John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander or anything...Hart is decent, pitched well, but ultimately he is a 27 year old who is just starting to reach the majors. He has a decent fastball and made the most of his starts beating the juggernauts of the Nationals, the Reds, and the Astros with a combined 28 runs of support. In the long run this year he was going back to the bullpen as a 6-inning guy and in the playoffs (if there are playoffs) he would probably not pitch at all. Ascanio is a pitcher who has been traded twice already and shows nothing at big league level. Harrison is so far away and so much of a long shot to be a contributor I don't see the fuss.
In Grabow they got a decent reliever that they needed and if he leaves as a free agent (after being offered arbitration) he could bring back draft picks (as will Harden; good way to restock a farm system). Gorzelany is also 27 and had a 14-win season for the Pirates 2 years ago. Low risk, high reward kind of guy. What have they lost if it does not work out? 1 mid-rotation pitcher they can afford to replace with any number of free agents and a RH set-up guy with a good fastball?
plus haven't we seen this movie before? Keep the prospect, keep the prospects...why did you trade **insert name here*** he was going to be so good!
Jose Ceda? Lost for the year before throwing a pitch for the Marlins. Donnie Veal--now a DL project from the Rule V draft (the Pirates David Patton), Pie? Patterson? Hill? Gallagher? E-Patterson? Murton? Every year people yell and scream we cannot give away these gems but they are assets and pretty risky to hold onto.
If Grabow and Gorzelany help win another division this year then it is a good trade. If they keep you in the race longer, it is a good trade. If you can win today you do what you can to keep winning.
we kept the prospects before and look how they turned out line....These AREN'T the same people. With that logic you may as well say the Cubs can't win the World Series cuz they haven't in the last 100 years, so whats the point?
Also, no way the Cubs offer arbitration to Grabow (or Harden for that matter) becuase they aren't going to pay what they might receive. So doubtful they get draft picks.
Again, none of these players are game changers. Its really not worth getting worked up about either way and we won't know who "won" or "lost" this trade for a few years.
Not that I'm 'bashing' the trade since they needed a lefty but I think they gave up a lot and didn't receive equal in return, in the big picture. I think Hendry jumps at deals at times when the Cubs would be better off waiting a bit. That's where most of the frustration comes from.
For me, evaluating the Grabow trade isn't about whether or not the Cubs got the best of the Pirates in the deal. It was simply disappointing to see the Cubs go bargain shopping again when there were better options available. Sure, the asking price for Sherrill or Scott Downs was going to be higher than what it took to get Grabow, but it's been a long enough wait for thousands of loyal Cub fans who deserve to be rewarded with a trip to the WS hasn't it? You get what you pay for. Frankly, Hendry blew it when he didn't recognize the importance of adding a quality lefty to the bullpen when there were some options available over the winter, including free agents Dennys Reyes and Joe Biemel. Just like it took a few years and being dominated by the RH pitching of the Dodgers last October for Hendry to realize that the Cubs lineup needed more punch from the left side. And how long did it take the Cubs to finally move Soriano out of the leadoff spot...a hole they could have filled a year ago by including Pie in a deal for Brian Roberts? How much have the Wuertz and DeRosa trades hurt the Cubs this year?
They are playing better of late, but it's still a flawed team. Way too many BB's awarded by the bullpen.....a closer who helps the opposition feel confident that they can come back from a deficit......an unhittable setup man who is issuing one free pass per inning and yet many clamor for him to be named the closer.....a supposed Ace who is a volcano, ready to explode at any given moment, and his own worst enemy..... a streaky outfielder who is horrible defensively and can almost single handedly shut down the Cub offense when he's slumping.....a CF'er who spins like a top at the plate....a RF'er who was signed to hit from the left side but has struggled to hit .200 as a lefty.....a shortstop who always seems to be out of position when taking throws in an attempt to tag out a baserunner....a ROY catcher who has been missing in action...etc.
While St.Louis added Holliday and DeRosa, the Red Sox added Victor Martinez, the Phillies added Cliff Lee, the Dodgers added George Sherrill, and the White Sox added Jake Peavy, the Cubs added Grabow and Gorzelanny. Even after acquiring Sherrill, the Dodgers were still trying to acquire Gonzalez and Bell from the Padres. And the WS champs were favored to land Halladay before settling on Lee. The one time the Cubs decided to spend big bucks on a big name free agent, they wind up blowing $18M/yr on Soriano for an 8-yr contract with a full no-trade clause, instead of filling a need for a LH slugger who can actually do more in LF than lope after balls that he's misread and that sail over his head even though he's playing 10-15 yards from the warning track. It would be nice to head into a season with a feeling that all the team weaknesses were recognized and addressed with quality players, instead of patching some of their wounds with leaky bandages and leaving others completely uncovered.
Initial thoughts are the same, minus a few concerns following the Pirates trade.
What division winning team can afford to have a Soriano playing defensively in a way that worries you. Will he miss the ball, will he drop it, or misjudge it? Just can't have that sort of player when ALSO Bradley is poor defensively. And Fukodome...no complaint about his defense, but do you trust him with his hitting style (mannerism) to produce? I mean, if he is the least bit off, a pitcher can make him look foolish. Even bad hitters sometimes hit a ball and it lands fair; with Fukodome who knows if he makes contact the way he moves around. He is not Suzuki at bat (the Seattle OF who is a league leading hitter despite similar unorthodox batting style. So you have three questionable starting OF, compared to the Cards. Holiday and Ludwick is a ton superior. And what if Ankiel gets his act together? As for pitching, Cards have the closest thing this year to a sure fire shut the door closer, while Chicago has only now added depth with left-handed hurlers. The only starter they use who is hurting them, is Wellemeyer. Their starters have been much more consistent than ours this season!
The other big concern? Lee and Ramirez have been a bust hitting in two straight playoffs. If we even get that far. Certinly Las Vegas must favor Cards over Cubs!
you forgot soriano, he's zero for xx....in playoffs......
Ramirez was bad in the post-season, but Lee had 10 hits in 23 AB's the last two years. It's tough to predict who will come up big in the playoffs. Many times it's expect the unexpected. Ramirez has been the best clutch hitter the Cubs have had the past few years now, so he may very well have a great post season the next time around.
Bruce,
I love deals and deal-making, so perhaps I'm emotionally reading in between the lines as opposed to analytically, but it sure sounds like Jim wants to make another deal. If so, I would presume it's for a bat.
Hoops
I also would assume he'd like to find a bat.