Colvin up; rotation juggled
MILWAUKEE _ Been a busy pregame on the field, so I'm a little late in blogging. Tyler Colvin will make his major-league debut for the Cubs tonight in center field. Lou says he'll play a lot, maybe not every day, but a lot.
Against lefty Chris Narveson Wednesday, Lou says he may go with an all right-handed hitting outfield that includes So Taguchi and Jake Fox.
Also on Wednesday, Jeff Samardzija will replace Ted Lilly as the starting pitcher. Lilly will get pushed back to the weekend in San Franciso, and Rich Harden also may start against the Giants. Lou says he's just giving Lilly a break, and that there's nothing wrong with his shoulder or his surgically repaired left knee.
Lou says it's time to "move on" from the Milton Bradley controversy. The Cubs seem to have done that. The clubhouse has been a lively place the last two days. GM Jim Hendry, who is not here, says he knows nothing about a grievance the players association may or may not file on behalf of Bradley. Bradley's agents are not returning anybody's calls.
It looks likely Bradley will be paid during the suspension.
Lineup
Theriot, SS
Fukudome, RF
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
Hoffpauir, LF
Baker, 2B
Colvin, CF
Hill, C
Gorzelanny, P
Cubs really need 2 more good OF'er's........Fukudome is really another So Taguchi, 4th OF'er on a good team........Tampa is trying to dump salary and were interested in Bradley this past off season, so trade Bradley and pay most of his contract along with Fox to Tampa for Carl Crawford who has 1 year left on his $11 million contract........he'll be 28 next year, good, young, and real.
Since when did Fox become a top prospect?? He was a 3rd round pick in the amatur draft. Hardly a top prospect. Fox can do one thing and thats hit. He's not in their future plans because he's basically a player without a position. Unless you're going to play him at 1B then he's a defensive liability anywhere else you play him. There's a reason why he hasn't been up with the big club sooner than he has. He can't play defense and you're not paying him Soriano money so there is no reason to start him every day and "bury" him in the outfield.
I agree that Jake's not a top prospect, but I do believe he could be a useful piece to the team next year or become a nice trade chip.
I sat in the LF bleachers many games this year and I think he's been adequate in the field. He's not going to win any Gold Gloves, but it's not like he was a downgrade from Fonzi. My biggest issue with his defensive liabilities is that he was only DH'ing at Iowa when he should have been getting some starts at 3B since the Cubs knew they were without a backup at that position. Bobby Scales may make some more acrobatic looking catches, but that's because he gets poor jumps then "Jimmy Edmonds" the ball at the end.
Jake Fox >>>> Tyler Colvin. And its not even close IMO.
Colvin just looks like a ballplayer to me though. I agree right now, Fox is better, but if Colvin can work on his plate discipline and his body fills out, he could be a solid player. Now whether those things happen, who knows.
Wilken has been pretty good so far. Picking Kyler Burke out from the depths of SD's minors could be another coup.
Wow, and it looks like the kid can play a very good CF too.
Supposedly will be on the Cubs radar in the offseason. going to be what, 37? putting up his best year since '06. Going by Hendry's pay history, I'd guess Cameron gets offered something like 4 years 48 million???
Then he'll out bid himself and go 5/60 mill.
With a no trade clause.
I laughed out loud reading that....
So let me get this straight. The Cubs put Bradley on the shelf and will have to eat somewhere between 18 or 19 million of his remaining contract OR take back some other dead contract? I read on tsn.ca that the Blue Jays might be interested and would love to dump Vernon Wells on the Cubs....
This is unreal, and yet Jim Hendry is safe? That is an absolute joke, and I would love to know how the new owner lets this happen. Lets see...I'm paying you to dump a guy that YOU signed, and supposedly did all this BS back ground research on to make sure that this exact dilema WOULD NOT happen? Now i have to eat at least 50-60% of his remaining deal just to make him go away? Really?
Somebody defend Hendry now for me. I don't see it. He is the reason this team is on a rocket ship straight towards 3-4 years of losing seasons with old veterans who suck. See the Mets after their WS appearance.
So glad this season is over next weekend.
No one is saying that Hendry didn't make a major mistake. I don't think even he would deny that. It is simple as this. The Cubs have made the playoffs 3 of 6 years in his tenure and 2 of the last 3 years. That buys a GM some time.
I will grant you that some of his free agent choices haven't been the best. But not all have been bad. And you can't put Soriano's signing all on Hendry. Most published reports I have seen lay that at the feet of Crane Kennedy.
Anyway, what do you care? Its not your money he has wasted. If the new owner doesn't like it, then he can take care of it.
Well, when this team can't make moves to fill glaring holes it will effect this team. You can't deny the log jam of aging veterans with no movement clauses, or players approaching the downside of their careers.
The Cubs payroll for next year is ridiculous, and it's obvious that this team needs some help.
most articles I've read say he's been playing RF.........in fact i believe he was player of the month (with Tenn) in august playing RF. where does CF come from? we already have one RF'er playing CF.
I thought Colvin looked decent last night, but the dude is pretty small and lanky. I guess that's okay for a center fielder, but it's hard seeing him have much pop at the major league level. Since he's 24 it's hard seeing him bulking up a lot more than he has. Maybe his size is deceiving similar to a guy like Hunter Pence?
Bruce - what type of player does Colvin project to be?
He's listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. He had 14 homers this year at Tennessee and 14 last year in many more games. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last off-season. He figures to hit for some power and to walk little and strike out a lot, at least that's been the history. He's an aggressive hitter who still needs to learn plate discipline.
what is the book on Colvin's D, speed, arm? just wondering.
You know, I try to remain optimistic about the Cubs and the way they run their organization but bringing up Colvin just doesn't make sense to me. Of course, all of this "non-sense making" is under the assumption that they had to use one of his options to get him to Chicago, is that correct?
If it is, they've essentially brought up a player that no one in their right mind thinks is ready to play in Chicago next season. The Cubs, and Hendry, have had the unfortunate ability to bring up players too early and waste using up all their options.
I understand that Fox doesn't play CF (neither should Colvin) but throw the guy in RF and move Fukudome back to CF for the rest of the season.
I'm just not seeing the sense in bringing up Colvin at this point. Please correct me if I'm wrong about the use of options as my knowledge on that subject isn't encyclopedic.
...but not on the active roster. At this time of year, the 40-man roster is the active roster for all intents and purposes, so I don't think an option is being used at this time.
Now, the Cubs have comitted at this point to using an option NEXT year, if Colvin is sent to the minors (which he probably will be). But I'm 90% sure that if the Cubs don't add Colvin to the 40-man roster by next season he'd be eligible for the Rule 5, so there's no way the Cubs weren't adding him to the 40-man roster in this offseason anyway (presuming I'm correct about the Rule 5 part).
So I don't see that adding Colvin to the 40-man right now does anything, other than give him a taste of the bigs.
Specifically, an option is used only when an organization assigns a player with a major league contract (i.e., a player on its 40 man reserve list) to the active list of a minor league team -- and sometimes not even then! -- without first removing that player from its 40 man reserve list. Bringing a player up to the majors from a minor league club (which requires adding that player to the 40 man reserve list) is the exact opposite of exercising an option.
The *only* negative to calling up a minor league player for his major league debut in September is an extremely minor one: it sets the last date on which his minor league options can be freely exercised without requiring waivers. When a player passes the third (but see note below) anniversary of the calendar date he first reported to a Major League club during the regular season -- in Colvin's case, that anniversary is now set for 9/21/12 -- he cannot be optioned to the minors without first clearing waivers. So if the Cubs want to send Colvin to the minors in spring training, 2013, first they will have to expose him to waivers even if he has an option remaining. If he clears waivers, he can be optioned; but if he's claimed by another team, then he can't be (though the Cubs can still withdraw him from waivers and keep rights to his contract, unlike if they were trying to waive him outright to the minors).
If the Cubs had waited until after the season to add Colvin to the 40 man reserve list (the typical timing is before the reserve list filing date in November that determines eligibility for selection in the Rule 5 draft), then the earliest date he could report would be Opening Day, 2010. Thus he could be optioned without waivers during spring training, 2013 -- assuming, of course, that he had an option remaining.
In practice, this restriction isn't very meaningful. Over the past decade, the Cubs have passed several players through waivers and then optioned them to the minors -- most recently, Neal Cotts. The purpose of the rule is to prevent clubs from using remaining options to punish major league players by demoting them, not to keep guys who aren't performing like major leaguers in the major leagues. In practice, a team will only want to option a guy to the minors if he's -- well, pitching like Neal Cotts was, for example.
The abovementioned note on anniversaries: in Colvin's case, the third anniversary applies because he is making his debut with the normal complement of 3 options. The particular anniversary for the waiver requirement is determined by unused options on the player: a player having 2 remaining options at the time he's first called up will require waivers to be optioned after the second anniversary of his callup.
Due to the special circumstances under which some players qualify for a fourth option year, the waiver requirement never applies when exercising a fourth option. Jeff Samardzija is eligible for a fourth option in 2010. He made his major league debut on 7/25/08; at that time he had 2 options (including the fourth) unused, so his waiver anniversary date normally would be 7/25/10. Because this is the special fourth option, though, the Cubs can option Samardzija to the minors (should they wish to) after next July 25 without having to offer him on waivers.
That was a lot of information but thanks for sharing. I suppose with Colvin turning 24 and being 28'ish in 2013 then his options aren't going to matter as much with a 28-yr old being sent to the minors being an afterthought organization-wise.
It looks like I was wrong in my reasoning for not bringing up Colvin so hopefully it works out for the best.
“We’re going to put him in the outfield and let him play,” Pinella told the Chicago Daily Herald.
“He’ll be playing the balance of our games, and it will give us a look at one of our top prospects.”
So, whats changed for this to happen? Milton? gimme a break. Nothing at all against Tyler, but I think Jake and Sam just got the Finger.
plus Lou's already changed his mind about "the balance of our games". Wednesday he'll use an all righty line up.
Sorry if this has been raised before, but why can't the Cubs DL Bradley so they don't have to pay him for year 3 of the contract? He is the one who claims he is injured, so he wouldn't be able to grieve it by saying the Cubs are punishing him.
Also, on a different note, I wanted to say thanks Bruce for a great year of coverage and all the information you have provided in this blog. I have an acquaintance in the clubhouse who has told me numerous times that you are the most respected beat writer by far. Thanks and keep up the good work!
in the contract states he has to be on the DL at the end of this season AND the beginning of next season. Putting him on the DL does nothing to the third year of the contract.
I'm not saying you are mistaken, but where did you get that information? I've previously posted the following from Cot's Baseball Contracts. If Milton's knee injury qualifies as a "specific injury" and he's already admitted to suffering from it, I'm wondering why the Cubs didn't elect to go the DL route instead of suspending him. Bruce, do you know anything about that?
Milton Bradley of
3 years/$30M (2009-11)
3 years/$30M (2009-11)
signed by Chicago Cubs as a free agent 1/6/09
$4M signing bonus
09:$5M, 10:$9M, 11:$12M
2010 and 2011 base salaries may increase by $0.25M for LCS MVP, $0.5M for WS MVP; $0.5M for MVP ($0.3M for 2nd in vote, $0.2M for 3rd, $0.15M for 4th, $0.1M for 5th) in any previous season
2011 may become $12M club option with $2M buyout if:
Bradley has more than 75 days on DL in 2009, or
Bradley is on DL at end of 2009 season with specific injury and not on active roster by 4/15/2010
if 2011 becomes a club option, it may be guaranteed again if:
MVP (1st -3rd) in 2010, or
any two of the following five:
All Star in 2010, unless Bradley is on DL at end of 2010 with specific injury
MVP (4th-8th) in 2010
Silver Slugger in 2010
WS MVP in 2009 or 2010
LCS MVP in 2009 or 2010
award bonuses: $75,000 each for Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, All Star; $0.25M for LCS MVP; $0.5M for WS MVP; $0.5M for MVP ($0.3M for 2nd in vote, $0.2M for 3rd, $0.15M for 4th, $0.1M for 5th)
perks: suite on the road
I use Cots as well and this is what I was looking at:
Bradley is on DL at end of 2009 season with specific injury and not on active roster by 4/15/2010
I just don't see how he wouldn't be on the active roster by 4/15/10 for a knee "injury" in September '09.
missing from the active roster if the Cubs were to trade him during the off season or place him on the DL when the season gets underway. I was just trying to determine whether or not the Cubs would have any options to give themselves some more leverage in this situation, and figured that if Bradley knew he was going to get a maximum of $11M out of the Cubs, he'd be more willing to basically take a severance package and disappear.
The Cubs did not put Bradley on the DL because they have no intention of having him on the team next spring. You can't trade players on the DL.
be put on the 15-day DL thru the remainder of the season, would that prevent the Cubs from dealing him in November or December?
The only incentive to putting him on the DL would be to mess with that option year. No way would the union let that stand. A judge wouldn't, either.
I have to disagree. Placing Bradley on the DL would have opened up another roster spot that the Cubs could have used to bring up and take a look at another young player from their minor league system. Bradley was already sitting the bench because of his bad knee. If Bradley was admitting to an injury which was a "specified" injury per his contract, what leg would the player's union have to stand on in claiming foul?
rosters have already expanded to 40 men. there are no spots to open unless you add another guy to the 40 man roster.
And they aren't likely to add someone to the 40-man at this point.
didn't Jeff Baker come to the Cubs while on the DL?
The Rockies had to technically activate him before they traded him.
Lou sounds like he's going to get Colvin in there as much as possible to see what the "top prospect" has (Lou's words, not mine!). If he's not doing that with Fox, I assume the decision has already been made on his future with the team?
I'd probably agree that he doesn't have much of a future in the NL, but if there was ever a time to find out.....it's now. Yet they don't.