On Bradley and Jaramillo (Scales, too)
We have a good discussion going, so I'll update here a little after noontime Friday that the Cubs have outrighted infielder-outfielder Bobby Scales to Class AAA Iowa, leaving their 40-man roster at 38.
It was an early wake-up call today, but thanks to Dan Jiggetts, Mike North and Jen Patterson for having me on the “Monsters in the Morning” show on Comcast. It’s always a riot. Of course, the Monsters asked me about Milton Bradley possibly coming back to the Cubs, and I said no. The question came up because the Cubs hired Rudy Jaramillo as hitting coach, and Jaramillo worked well with Bradley in 2008 at Texas.
Here’s the deal. Cubs GM Jim Hendry has been working the phones, and was doing so today, trying to move Bradley. Cubs people tell me Jim has been talking with several teams, so there appears to be no shortage of interest, something also reported by national baseball writer Ken Rosenthal, who cites baseball people as saying there is widespread interest in Bradley.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/10254444/La-Russa-will-have-options,-...
Bradley can't come back to the Cubs for several reasons:
--How does he walk into the clubhouse and face teammates who lined up last month in St. Louis to tell the writers they were glad Bradley had been suspended and that he ought to look in the mirror?
--What happens when Bradley says something provocative to the media in spring training? The Cubs do not want any more "Here we go again" moments.
--What would happen if Bradley goes 0--for-5 with 3 strikeouts in the home opener at Wrigley and the fans start booing again? Heck, what happens the first time he heads out to right field, the scene of all that "hatred and adversity," to use Bradley's term?
--The Cubs will have new owners any day now, and you have to believe the Ricketts family wants no potential public-relations disasters on its hands, courtesy of Milton Bradley.
As I've written, if Hendry can create a market or even the perception of a market for Bradley, he might be able to get decent return and not have to eat all of the $21 million coming to Bradley over the next two years. Of course, Hendry is responsible for giving Bradley the three-year, $30 million contract in the first place.
It was an interesting interview session with Jaramillo yesterday at Wrigley. Jaramillo is known for being the boss in his coach-hitter relationships. Apparently, that was true a couple years ago when former Cub Sammy Sosa closed out his career with the Rangers.
“That was a great moment for me because I had Sammy when he was 16, 17, 18, 19 and then he got traded," Jaramillo said, referring to Sammy's days in the Rangers' minor-league system. "I never spent any time with him at the big-league level. I knew Sammy’s mentality as a hitter, and I wanted Sammy. They (the Rangers) flew him in. We met. It’s kind of funny. Our general manager and him spoke. I wanted him there on a Monday. Sammy called, and he said, ‘I don’t have to be at the workout. I’m just going to be at the dinner. My agent spoke with (Texas’) general manager.’ I said, ‘Well, tell your agent he’s not the hitting coach.’ I said, ‘I want you here at 9 o’clock on Monday.’ It was Friday. We left it at that. He showed me something. He got in his own jet. I told him, ‘Don’t be bringing all these people around, either.’ He brought one person. He beat me to the park. He was there by 9 o’clock. So then I knew that he was serious, that he wanted to play. I was always real disciplined with Sammy, and I kept the same way.”
There's more.
“I’ll give you a funny story," Jaramillo said. "It happened in spring training. There were five kids (young players) in the cage. He was one of the five. There was like 100 balls hit into the net. Sammy didn’t pick up a one. He let these four guys go pick them up. I said OK. We did it again. I said, ‘Hold up, Sammy has them all.’ Sammy went and picked every ball. That was a big thing...Sammy was outstanding. When he went to the plate with men on base, it was just different animal. He was told after the all-star break that he was not going to play anymore. He was going to go home. I said, ‘No, you’re not going to go home. You’re going to stick it out. If you want to continue playing the following year, you’ve got to play.’ He had a great year. He drove in 94 runs for us, and he hit 22 home runs. He didn’t even get 500 ABs. That was pretty exciting for me to be back with Sammy and watch him have a good year going out.”
Jaramillo is a Texan, but he's fluent in English and Spanish, something that can only help.
“I think I’m the only bilingual hitting coach in baseball," he said. "I think that’s such a great asset. Nobody wants to ever talk about the bilingual part. There’s almost 42 percent of the players, I believe, (who) are Latin in baseball. I love teaching in Spanish. With the Spanish-speaking players, I’d rather teach them in Spanish than English because maybe I can emphasize a word more that they understand. That’s been a big help for me, a big key.”
When asked if he could speak Japanese and maybe get through even more to Kosuke Fukudome, Jaramillo said he could learn it.
The Cubs need to ween themselves off the extreme addiction to free agency. The way you build a winning franchise is to scout, select and develop your own talent first and foremost. You augment that with selective free agency signings and trades that makes sense.
Look at the Yankees. Even they have 13 homegrown talents hitting the field. And others who they traded away to obtain valuable pieces to the puzzle.
Sure, the Cubs have signed some free agents, but that is not what has put the core of the team together. And honestly, if we had a team of homegrown talent, we would be in the cellar. Who are the free agents? Soriano, Lilly, Fukudome, Bradley and also Dempster(for almost nothing). Lee, Ramirez, Harden, and Baker, Gregg, and Heilman were acquired by trade. Theriot, Soto, Zambrano, Marmol and most of the pen were developed by the Cubs. I think that is a pretty fair mix. Especially if we lose Bradley and Soriano comes back to respectable numbers. Basically it comes down to this, you can't draw water from a dry well. The Cubs don't have a player ready at 2nd base(other than Baker) or at CF to be the type of player we need to compete. So we either make a trade or fill through free agency.
Speculate all you want, but no one except Ricketts and the Cub managements knows,
how much Ricketts will or is willing to spend.
I would be surprised if Sandberg was chosen to manage the Cubs in 2011. He should
move up in the system first, and perhaps be appointed as bench coach.
R. Sandberg has spent the last 3 seasons managing in the minors, 2010 will be 4. how many years did Torre, Frank Robinson, or Joe Girardi manage in the minors?
i believe he's ready now to manage any team in the big's.
off the top of my head Brenly, T. Williams jumped right into managing in the Major League's. I'm sure there is others. i don't believe these 2 ever even coached in the big's.
i will agree every player should at least spend 1 season managing in the minors. just one guys opinion.
somewhere in the last few days i read where Ricketts has set a limit on how much pay we'll eat on any (Bradley) move/trade. sounds like no more throwing away money. Hmm
Yes Duncan of the Cardinals has done very good jobs with pitchers, but so did Mazzone
with the Braves, then he went to the Orioles and didn't succeed. Rothchild is doing fine
with the Cubs, if he left, he would be picked up in a hurry by another team, he's that excellent.
Jaramillo has been an excellent hitting instructor, but look at the Rangers ballpark,
it's great for hitting. Gary Mathews and Bradley hit well there, and when they left,
they stop hitting.
Cubs don't need Rowand, waste of money, might as well platoon Johnson and Fuld,
and probably get the same results, both seem to be gamers.
I'm not sure how the contracts match up or who is in charge in Washington but what about MB for Christian Guzman and then move Guzman to 2nd? Baker becomes utility guy.
If the Cubs were fortunate enough to get Guzman for Badley, they certainly wouldn't shift him to second base. Theriot would have to move or be gone.
Nyjer Morgan would be a decent pickup for the Cubs. Nice fit at CF and leadoff. I don't know if they would want Bradley. Morgan is probably the second coming of Juan Pierre for about a fraction of the money.
It's my understanding that the Nationals really liked what Morgan did for them after the trade and aren't looking to move him.
I don't know how their defensive range scores match-up but Guzman has consistently had more errors than Theriot. If you are going to keep Guzman for a year then it might be easier to just slide him over to second as opposed to moving an existing player such as Theriot. I'm not even convinced that Guzman would be an every day player on the Cubs.
That was my thought process behind all of that.
I don't know about that trade specifically, but the Cubs wouldn't mind seeing Baker as their super-utility guy, playing second, third, first and some outfield.
Guzman never walks, and slugs almost nothing over his batting average. Cubs would be better off with Baker and his nice OPS and approach at the plate starting everyday. Guzman is the second coming of Neifi Perez. I don't want him if he is free. I would rather have Bradley, and I don't want Bradley.
Rowand is owed $36 million on his remaining contract, a deal the Giants are anxious to shed. Rowand strikes me as a high-character maximum effort sort of a player. Any chance whatsoever a creative trade could be pieced together involving Milton and Rowand? The dollars don't match up obviously, but perhaps San Francisco could sweeten the pot with one of arms in their deep bullpen.
Milton Bradley for Oliver Perez, money is close and if the Mets need the deal sweetened, Miles and or Fontenot plus a very low prospect.
It would easier to hide a lefty in the bullpen (or move to another team) if Perez would fail as a 5th starter.
That's an even worse contract than Bradley's - no way should any "deal sweetening" be needed. That would be an AWFUL trade for the Cubs without throwing anything else in.
The Cubs have plenty of better, younger and cheaper 5th starter options to try.
I see the money logic on Perez, and you figure he has to bounce back some after a nightmarish 2009. I'd first look to trade Bradley to the Tigers for Nate Robertson, and see if Detroit bites. Whereas Perez has 2 years left on his deal, Nate only has one year left.
Hi Bruce,
Beggars can't be choosers as the saying goes, but it sounds like Hendry may have more options on trading Bradley that anyone originally suspected.
So, if Hendry could get his way, what would he realistically want back for Bradley in your opinion?
(1) Corner outfielder, Center fielder, middle infielder, a starting pitcher or a relief pitcher?
(2) An established player or a prospect?
(3) An RBI guy or a lead-off guy?
Just trying to gauge his wish-list here.
Thanks,
Hoops
Gary Matthews Jr. is a logical target. Contract dough owed to Matthews and Bradley is the same. At least with Matthews he has a good history with Rudy Jaramillo and can play an excellent center field.
Other targets? I would have to think it would be a case of Hendry taking on somebody else's problem child and/or bad contract to be able to move Bradley. There is no team on the planet who is going to willing to take on all $20 million on Bradley without losing a bad contract or getting the Cubs to kick in a lot of millions.
Clubhouse chemistry seems to be very important to the Angels and Mike Scioscia. Every national writer says they are a great bunch of guys.
While it makes sense financially to move a redundant CF for a corner OF (Vlad will be gone), I just can't see Milton fitting there. But I could be very wrong.
If Hendry could get a center fielder, enabling the Cubs to move Fukudome back to right, that would be their preference. The so-called RBI guy (he can be an RBI guy if the on-base guys get on base) would be preferable to the Cubs. They'd prefer an established guy or guys but would be open to good prospects.
...they're targetting a centerfielder, because I'd like to see Kosuke go back to right field, too. Of course, finding this vaunted "RBI guy" who also happens to play centerfield doesn't seem likely.
Top 10 2009 RBI leaders (in games played as a center fielder):
1. Matt Kemp - 93
2. Torii Hunter - 86
3. Curtis Granderson-71
4. Mike Cameron - 70
4. Franklin Gutierrez - 70
4. Adam Jones - 70
4. Nate McLouth - 70
8. Vernon Wells - 66
9. Marlon Byrd - 64
9. Aaron Rowand -64
The only available names there are Cameron, Wells, Byrd and Rowand.
Mike Cameron is a free agent, but he made $10M in 2009 and $5M in 2008. He's probably looking for a 2 year deal worth $15M. Still plays great D and his OBP is typically in the .340 range. Signing him doesn't help with a Bradley trade, but it does allow the Cubs to move Fukudome back to Rf and Cameron has been used in the 5-slot numerous times albeit his career OPS there is only .763. He's much better suited for the 6 or 7 slot where his career OPS is over .800
I'm sure Toronto would be happy to trade 5 years of Vernon Wells for 2 years of Milton Bradley, but that would be just silly on Hendry's part unless the Blue Jays are willing to take Soriano too.
It's probably Aaron Rowand though he's not consistent. He's only had more than 80 RBIS once in his career. Having said that, his 3 best OPS seasons were 2001, 2004 and 2007, so the trend indicates 2010 should be a good year for him. But does Hendry want 3 years and $36M of Rowand for 2 years and $21M of Bradley. I'd pass.
Hi Bruce,
You mentioned in answering your questions that Larry Rothschild will be back next year no matter what, and I also know that's true. Jim Hendry loves him and that's why he has been here through three managers.
I'm just wondering what your take is on him. I have never heard a Cub pitcher say, "Larry taught me this, or Larry showed me this." I have yet to see him correct anyone that has mechanical flaws, or get any pitchers to reach or exceed their potential like Dave Duncan does on a consistent basis in St. Louis.
I know one Cub beat writer does not think much of him as a pitching coach and I know some other people around baseball are not as high on him as the Cubs are.
Again, what are your thoughts?
I think he's very good. The difference between Larry and some other pitching coaches is that Larry refuses to self-promote. He doesn't like to take credit for things and rarely will he talk about what he's doing with a specific pitcher. There have been pitching coaches touted as "geniuses" in places where they have good pitchers and then gone on to other places where the talent wasn't so hot and not lasted there.
Zambrano came up unpolished and raw-boned and blossomed under Rothschild, this year notwithstanding. Joe Borowski, Matt Clement and Ryan Dempster had success under Larry they hadn't had other places. Kerry Wood has good things to say about Rothschild. Larry also put together a plan for Samardzija at Iowa, and while it's early, it seemed to help in the early stages.
Piniella was given the option of his own pitching coach when he came here, and he wanted Larry to stay. Andy MacPhail hired Rothschild to replace Oscar Acosta after the 2001 season.
Overall, the Cubs' pitching has been pretty good during Larry's tenure here.
Heard him on Boers and Berstein and liked what I heard. He's not "all slugging" like I've seen some people describe him. They asked him about "walks" and OBP and he sounded like he knew their importance.
*my position is that I don't think its all that big of a deal, but at least he knows the importance of a walk*
either you can hit or you can't. a coach can only give advice, you still have to execute. did Jaramillo stop Soriano from striking out or swinging at down and out pitches in texas? is he going to make Fukudome or Fontenot 300 hitters? when you make it to this level it's part you and your little, pee wee, and high school coaches who helped get you here. so like Lee said, who knows you better than yourself. didn't Hendry say that Joshua should help cause he coached most of these kids/guys in the minors? too much is being made of this guy. look at some film, most of the time you can see for yourself what you're doing wrong. that's just my take.
While I agree that a player can be his own/best hitting coach, sometimes the players aren't exactly brain surgeon's when it comes to analyzing and breaking down hitting.
Young players especially can get a lot of help from hitting coaches as far as what pitches to look for and what counts to take advantage of while at the plate, or the mental aspect of hitting. Jaramillo has helped out the younger hitters on the Rangers quite a bit in the past. He's a guide who can help you catch flaws before you do.....just like umpiring down the left field line at Yankee Stadium during the ALDS, sometimes you need a little seperation from the situatin to gain clarity.
My buddy is the producer for that show. Good show that always has great guests.....obviously any show that has Bruce Miles on will see its ratings skyrocket!
Thoughts on Girardi's use of the pen last night? I would have thought he'd go with Joba/Hughes/Rivera to slam the door shut in the 7th/8th/9th instead of sending Burnett back out. They would have had a week off before the WS starts so no use in saving arms.
I haven't been overly impressed with the bullpen management. You can overthink things in this game sometimes.
That's why I'd never send my kid (if I had one) to Northwestern. They teach those folks to think too much!
They've really turned over that Yankees coaching staff since Torre left. I didn't even recognize the names of their pitching/hitting coach.
OK, I'll sign on with the new hitting coach. He could provide stability. The players will know its on them to produce, no excuse. I still think it's not that big a deal, just as D-Lee said but OK fine, run with it.
IF the Cubs REALLY want to make a coaching splash, how about luring Dave Duncan from the RedBirds. Any word out of StL the rumors are true he's PO'd @ mgmt for moving his kid? Or are there other issues? Are there ANY issues?
I don't know if there are any issues there. I do know the Cubs are happy with Larry Rothschild and that he will be back regardless of what happens with Dave Duncan in St. Louis.
sounds like the 2nd coming of the late Oscar Acosta. Which could be a good/refreshing thing...
I find it very difficult to get excited about a hitting coach. I guess being a Cub fan for 45 years will do that to a guy.
...any idea yet of where they see the Cubs' 2010 payroll being? That's probably the elephant in the room for this offseason.
I don't see a whole lot of movement for 2010. You still have big deals on the books, so maybe a slight increase is all that will happen.
...the Ricketts will have to deal with, a slight increase in payroll is about the equivalent of the payroll being in the $170 million range under Trib ownership.
Rickett's will clearly seek new revenue streams to offset the debt service, but those strategies will take some time to implement (besides naming rights).