Bradley a fit for Mets?
INDIANAPOLIS _ It's been a busy early morning of lobby mingling here at Indy. Walked over from my budget hotel to the big Marriott through a dusting of snow. One of the first guys I ran into was Jim Riggleman, the former classy manager of the Cubs and now the boss of the Nats.
Here's what I've heard so far:
--The Mets might be the elusive third team interested in Milton Bradley. We've all heard the rumors of the Cubs trading Bradley to the Rays for Pat Burrell and then flipping Burrell to the Mets for Luis Castillo. I've heard the Cubs have talked about Castillo, but word around the lobby is that the Mets might be interested in having Bradley themselves and putting him in their outfield. Stay tuned.
--Realistically, the Cubs are looking at May 1 for lefty Ted Lilly as being ready. Lilly is coming off shoulder surgery, and the Cubs may want to avoid pitching him in the cold weather of April. Of course, Ted will say he's ready by income tax day.
--The Cubs are mulling over seven or eight veteran right-handed relievers, according to one lobby-sitter. I talked with a Padres guy about Heath Bell. The Pads might want to move him and make Mike Adams their closer. But Bell is probably too rich for the Cubs' blood, as he'll seek a big raise in arbitration.
--As talked about before, the Cubs will try Jeff Baker some in the outfield in spring training. Lou seems to like Baker, and he could fill the old "Mark DeRosa" role of second baseman, third baseman, first baseman and outfielder.
We meet with both Lou and Ozzie this afternoon. More to come later.
The Mets can't possibly be serious! If Bradley couldn't deal with the pressure and media in Chicago, how could he possibly survive New York?
To me, it's a recipe for disaster. I still see Bradley ending up in Tampa or Texas.
1) LH or SH leadoff hitter that plays CF or 2b, NOT named Granderson or Pierre!
2) LH or SH middle of the order hitter w/power NAMED Granderson or ??? that plays 2b, CF or RF....NO RH hitters need apply!
3) #3 Starter w/experience, control of 3 or more solid pitches including a great off-speed pitch, sound arm & averages 6+ IP/start
4) Veteran RH Set Up man w/more than 2 pitches
5) Veteran RH platoon partner w/power to play ALL OF positions
ANY of the above and/or $$$$s in return for bright but shy, EXTREMELY focused, high OBP, line drive hitting, SH, OF w/ slight persecution complex
I don't know if the Cubs have thought of it. or if he can or cannot, but how about letting Guzman as a starter. I know the Cubs like him at relief, and he seemed to do a good job at it, and I know he's had surgeries, and that the Cubs are looking into more middle relief pitchers. I don't have any confiedence in Jeff Samardzja, he's ok for perhaps 2 batters in a inning. Hope Atkins, Cashner,Berg,Caridad, Stevens or Patton show enough
to reinforce the pitching staff like Wells did.
They tried that with him all through the minors and when he first came up. His arm can't put up with it unfortunately it seems.
Bruce,
Have you seen any evidence or rumors today suggesting that the Cubs are looking at Adam Kennedy to start at 2B in a possible platoon with Jeff Baker?
Hoops
Right now, Baker and Fontenot will share time at second. I've not heard Kennedy's name mentioned at all.
I understand dollars are thin this offseason, but I still feel the Cubs should be able to find a creative way to field a better team than a Fontenot/Baker platoon at 2B and a Marlon Byrd/Rick Ankiel type player in CF.
First off, only offer arb to Grabow.
Granderson is only $5.5 million next year. I think they could talk Detroit into Vitters instead of Castro.
With Lilly hurt, get a pitcher back for Bradley. There are some bad contracts out there like the trio from Detroit, Gil Meche, Derek Lowe even a closer like Francisco Cordero.
Then this guy below, Ruben Gotay, was just signed to a minor league contract by the Cardinals. Could've been our 2b/3b option. And Baker wouldn't be a terrible plan B.
Which means the team only added Granderson's $5.5 million and 6 figures for Gotay. I believe that still leaves some coin to perhaps get in the running for a starting pitcher instead of relying on Gorzellany or Samardzija.
from Fangraphs
Ruben Gotay, 2B/3B
A second baseman for most of his career, Gotay spent more time playing third base in Reno this year, and that position may be a better fit for his particular skill set. He’ll never win a Gold Glove, but his bat is interesting enough to get him back to the big leagues.
While playing for the Diamondbacks affiliate in the PCL, Gotay racked up a .272/.429/.450 line that shows off a strong ability to control the strike zone. He drew 102 walks and struck out just 69 times, and unlike some minor league walk aficionados, he actually flashed some power – 42 of his 101 hits went for extra bases.
As a switch-hitter with plate discipline and power, Gotay has a good enough bat to play in the majors. His defense is the question mark, but teams with an opening at 3B or a willingness to sacrifice some range at 2B should be willing to give him a shot. Heading into his age 27 season, his best days may still be ahead of him.
Bruce,
Do you think that Baker is an adequate back up at 3rd? I know that was a problem when A-Ram went down this year.
Lou said today Baker could play third. I think he's a much better option than what they had before the Cubs got him, when Ramirez was out.
Check out Scotty's Brewhouse while you're in Indy - great sandwiches / wraps, solid brew selection and tasty fried pickles.
Cubs would definitely get a lead-off hitter if they acquired Castillo. Horrible D though.
Overall .387 OBP - .411 from left side, .329 from right side. We're probably looking at a Castillo/Baker platoon. Castillo leads off when he plays; Theriot leads off when Baker plays.
The bigger question is why would the Mets even entertain Milton. Milton will be crushed by the media there!
Where does the horrible D comment come from Hoops? Castillo won the GG three straight years from 2003-2005 and the defensive stats I've seen place him pretty well with other second basemen.
has Castillo as the worst 2B in baseball for 2009
http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=2b&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=y&typ...
To me that indicates he sees Wells as a #4/#5 guy, and doesn't think Lilly will be ready until mid-May/early June.
Do the Cubs have any money at all to pursue free agents? Probably not until they know how much of Bradley's contract they need to pay.
I would like to see the Cubs look at Brett Myers. He requires no draft pick compensation, he knows the national league, he will not demand a big salary, and has experience in relief...he could go to the bullpen if all of the other options for starters work out.
Milton Bradley or Luis Castillo. I can't contain my excitement. Do I want to die by suffocation or drowning?
Look at Castillo as a platoon player with Jeff Baker. When Castillo starts (against righties), he'll lead-off and give you near .400 OBP. His defense though has definitely degraded from his 3 consecutive gold glove years play earlier this decade.
Bruce, Piniero is who the Cubs should pursue. Would fit as a solid #2 or 3 and goes DEEP in games and throws tons of ground balls. Seems to be a perfect fit for this team except financially. Any scenario in which the Cubs become involved?
I don't see this one. The money will be way too much for the Cubs at this point.
Bruce -
One of your colleagues briefly mentioned Soriano as a potential contract the Cubs may try to move this off-season. With the money and NTC I assume they haven't even brought his name up in discussions correct?
This has not been discussed.
is probably in a permanent state of "trying to move"
they don't waste money on the bullpen.
Bruce, any idea on their thoughts for the opening day 4 or 5 starting pitchers?
Zambrano
Dempster
Wells
?
?
Definitely NOT playoff caliber.
I'm not wild about this team as it stands now. Right now, you're listing the only three starters they have. Gorzelanny and Samardzija are their other candidates. A lot of baseball people here seem to think Gorzelanny can be a good pitcher. We'll see. The Cubs have talked about Millwood, perhaps in the Bradley scenario.
That's the other bad contract for bad contract deal that's being discussed on the radio today.
Cubs people say they have not talked to the Royals, and the Royals have indicated for some time they're not interested in Bradley.
I like Randy Wells a lot, but counting on him as a de facto #3 starter scares me. I want guys like Gorzellany and the Shark backing him up, not written into the opening day rotation.
Another possible option as RH setup and to back up for Marmol as closer might be F. Cordero. The Reds weren't as close to competing as they thought they were and are reportedly seeking to shed that contract. Maybe they would eat enough to make it worth the Cubs while and less expensive than Heath Bell, though it would be great if the Cubs could acquire Bell.
Cord gets ~$25 mill over the next two years....no way the Reds would eat enough of that for the Cubs to handle it unless an amazing package of prospects was included.
Look at it this way. The Reds are on the hook for $25M for a closer for whom they don't have enough save opportunities. They made a mistake, just like the Cubs did in signing Bradley and Soriano among others. Their payroll is just about half the size of the Cubs. Ridding themselves of even half of that $25M would make a big difference to a smaller market team like the Reds, and then we'd be talking about $6M/yr, or about $2M more per year than the Cubs just agreed to pay Grabow. Anyways, the Cubs are probably looking to spend more like half if not a third of that on the veteran RHRP they are reportedly seeking.