Sox add Jones; Cubs quiet for now
The White Sox added to their bench depth today by signing veteran outfielder Andruw Jones to a one-year contract worth a reported $500,000, with a reported $1 million in performance bonuses. It appears the Sox see Jones as backup help and not as a starter.
Jones’ hitting line in Texas this year was .214/.323/.459 for an OPS of .782. His weighted on-base average (wOBA) was .338. If there’s any good sign in the numbers for Sox fans, it’s that Jones had an isolated power number of .246 (slugging percentage minus batting average), meaning the hits he does get go for extra bases. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was .224, and that figures to rise in 2010 closer to the league average of about .300. His groundball rate dropped from 47.8 percent in 2008 with the Dodgers to 34.4 percent with the Rangers, and his flyball rate went from 38.8 percent to 49.5 percent. The Bill James Handbook for 2010 projects a line of .232/.336/.443 for an OPS of .779.
As far as the Cubs go, I’m getting caught up after about 12 days off the continent. From people I’ve talked with in the last couple of days since returning, GM Jim Hendry appears to be working steadily on trading right fielder Milton Bradley. Cubs people still express confidence Hendry will get a deal done as he continues to haggle over the price.
Even though you’ve read suggestions that the Cubs should trade shortstop prospect Starling Castro to the Tigers for outfielder Curtis Granderson, it simply is not going to happen. The Cubs appear to have a bona fide blue-chip prospect at a position other than pitcher, and they are not trading him for Granderson or anybody else. And no, I do not see the Cubs as a player for Roy Halladay, but you probably knew that, given their money situation.
Speaking of Castro, he turned in a line of .376/.396/.475 for an OPS of .871 in 26 games in the Arizona Fall League. He hit 1 homer and drove in 10. Third base man Josh Vitters had a line of .353/.380/.485 for an OPS of .866. he had 1 homer and 8 RBI.
Reliever Blake Parker, who was added to the 40-man roster, was 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in 11 relief appearances. You could see Parker at Wrigley Field next year. He had 22 saves this year at Iowa.
Lefty reliever John Gaub, also added to the 40-man recently, was 1-1 with a 9.31 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP in 10 AFL games this year. Gaub came over from the Indians in the Mark DeRosa trade. He also could crack the big-league bullpen next year.
Park Ridge’s Brian Schlitter, who has been playing in Mexico, was 1-0 with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 18 relief appearances.
Andrew Cashner, the top pick of the Cubs in 2008, was 2-3 in 6 starts in the AFL with a 4.58 ERA and a whip of 1.37.
Things should start to heat up again after Thanksgiving. I head to Indy for the winter meetings a week from Sunday to cover both the Cubs and Sox. Should be fun.
Happy holiday.
Z nor Samardzija are waiving their NTC.
I know this is a long shot....
How bout getting Z to waive his no trade and moving him to the Mets for Carlos Beltran?
Then we take a package of Jeff Samardzija, Wellington Castillo, DJ LeMahiou (sp?) and Jake Fox for Roy Halliday?
We'd solve the centerfield problem and get the ACE we need.
Team would look like this:
Fukudome rf
Theriot 2b
Lee 1b
Ramirez 3b
Beltran cf
Soriano lf
Soto c
Castro ss
Halliday # 1
Lilly # 2
Dempster #3
Wells # 4
Gorzelanny #5
Marmol cl
Caridad
Grabow
Guzman
Marshall
Berg
Gaub
Hill
Fuld
Fontenot
Baker
Hoffpauir
I wish we would have signed Omar Vizquel because I think we need a more veteran presence on the bench.
Bruce-I'd love your thoughts...
After Hendry gets done with that he should trade miles and hoffpauir for that pujols guy!
Under that scenario, who would play centerfield for the New York Mets with Beltran gone?
or Reyes, and bring back Rafael Santana to play short.
They could sign Mike Cameron for old times sake.
do need an Ace, that package wouldn't even come anywhere close to landing Halladay. You're also assuming that Castro is ready right now to make the jump and your regular second baseman would be your only backup SS.
Bruce - Good to have you back and blogging. Like many of your readers I am a Cubs fan, but I also follow the Sox with interest. I do not understand the signing of Andruw Jones.
With a 25 man roster, if the Sox decide to carry 12 pitchers that leaves 4 position players on the bench. So in the past week the Sox have devoted half of their bench to two guys who seem on the back side of their careers and sliping fast. It does not make sense.
While I would wholly agree that Hendry does "fall in love" with guys, I do think this particular signing was solid We will have a very young bullpen, and if this guy can serve as a mentor and be a force of reason when a Caridad, Berg, Stevens or Marshall even, has a disastrously poor day, I hope he is able to help get a young bullpen through what promises to be a season full of expectations. Not trading young players like Castro is refreshing Palmeiro Moyer. Carter, Hall All traded for a division title but not a pennant It's time the team realized pennants frankly, mean nothing.
General Managers and Sports Writers spend tons of hours working, I give them all credit.
They need all the time off they deserve. Bruce have a wonderfull Thanksgiving.
As far as trading prospects, that's what they are prospects. but perhaps Castro should be held, the rest I don't know or care.
I'm still pulling for Henry and the Cubs to look in to COCO CRISP IF HE'S HEALTHY.
What does Crisp give you that Sam Fuld can't for a fraction of the cost?
In fact, I'd bet that Sam Fuld has better avg/obp/slg numbers next year than Crisp will.
Proven centerfielder with base stealing ability, young, fast, good outfielder. Fuld been aroung
the Cubs minors for years, don't let last years stats fool you. His a decent 4 or 5th outfielder.
You must have fallen in love with him late this year.
Actually I have.
"Proven centerfielder with base stealing ability, young, fast, good outfielder."
Proven he's a slightly below average hitter. Yes he can steal. 30 isn't young. Fast I believe was covered in the "stealing bases" comment. Good outfielder? At worst he's average, at best he's good. Fuld can play D too though.
277/331/407 in his career; which is below average.
He can steal bases, but he gets on base at a below average rate. Which one do you think sounds more important?
He's not a starting caliber CF. He's a 4th outfielder.
This is not even considering the fact that he just had surgery on BOTH of his shoulders and might not even be ready for spring training.
I believe Fuld started his first year in 2005. he was injured most of 08, so basically he's got about 3 minor league years. in the spring of 2008 he and Pie were up for the starting CF job. Pie won cause he was Hendry's baby. Fuld than was injured most of 2008.
Cubs management is one of the reasons most (position) of their farm players are down there so long along with maybe not having talent along with over paying old, slow, over the hill, DH, AL type players. Coco's best years are behind him. and to be honest he never was all that great. course the Sox want him.
Coco is 30, Fuld is 28 so if Coco is young what does that make Fuld. he's a better 4th OF'er than Coco is an over paid regular. bottom line is who had the better stats in 2009? Coco or Fuld? fact is given the chance even as little as it was he did well. that's what a player is supposed to do. it's not his fault Lou played Hendry's over paid bad players. don't let the Pie's and Patterson's or the past their prime players fool you. that's how I see it. just my opinon.
Grabow has terrible numbers and was another hendry overspend. This guy gets into love affairs with people and forgets it is a business. Dempster, Neifi, Miles, Bradley, Fukedome...the list is long and disappointing.
Glad you're back Bruce as we await some upcoming and hopefully exciting news from the winter meetings. So far, I have to say that IMO Hendry has made mistakes in both of his moves by not offering Harden arbitration and by signing Grabow for $7.5M for two more years. Grabow wanted to return and probably would have accepted less, but Hendry could have offered him arbitration and gotten him for less money while committing to him for just one more year. If that's Hendry's answer for a backup closer option for Marmol, our Cubs could be headed for trouble.
Harden is going to get snatched up and the Cubs could have offered him arbitration and probably signed him for somewhere in the $8-10M range for another year. That's not a big risk, especially considering that they will be down a SP with his departure and another SP with Lilly not expected to be ready to open the season. As it stands, they won't get anything for allowing Harden to leave. Let's hope his next move is a positive one.
I'm actually glad they resigned Grabow. A bit disappointed about probably letting Harden walk, but eh, sacrifices have to be made somewhere.
I like the idea of the Cubs holding on to some talent. Certainly trading it away like they have in the past has had mixed results, mostly positive I guess, but still hasn't delivered the holy grail. So I like the change in "strategery".
Signing mediocre middle relief pitchers to multi-year deals doesn't seem like all that different of a strategy to me....