What we know about Nady
More to come online later today and in Saturday's paper. In fact our story is now online at dailyherald.com:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=354975&src=152
A few snippets from the noon teleconference with Xavier Nady, Cubs GM Jim Hendry and uberagent Scott Boras:
--Nady's nickname is "X." Boras didn't call him Xavier (which Nady pronounces as EX-avier) once. I believe there were three quick X's for a tic-tac-toe.
--"X" talked about seeing where his surgically repaired elbow (Tommy John surgery) would be in "two-and-a-half months." That takes us into April, but neither Nady nor the Cubs seemed to think he wouldn't be ready to start the season on the active roster. Nady said he hoped to throw from 120 feet today and then push it back to 130 feet next week.
--Hendry said: "Quality, quality hitter. Certainly a legitimate middle-of-the-lineup hitter from his past. We searched long and hard in the winter to come up with one more solid bat to give Lou going into camp. This really came together rather quickly in the last week...We feel like we've got an everyday, legitimate 5-hole-type hitter to augment our offense."
--From Nady: "From a health standpoint, the arm's doing well. It's progressing each week, and I'll continue to do my throwing program for the next two-and-a-half months...Right now, it's hard, I think, to assess where I'll be in two-and-a-half months."
--Boras pointed to a relatively quick return by Jose Guillen from similar surgery as good news for Nady. The agent pointed out that the number of "intense" throws Nady would have to make from the outfield would be "very small."
--Hendry said the signing wasn't made to push either left fielder Alfonso Soriano or right fielder Kosuke Fukudome as much as it was to provide the Cubs offense depth.
The elbow injury limited Nady to 7 games last year with the Yankees. It was the second Tommy John surgery of his career. In 2008 with the Pirates and Yankees, he combined for a line of .305/.357/.510 with an ISO of .205 and a wOBA of .374 _ all very solid numbers to go along with 25 homers and 97 RBI.
Bill James projects .285/.337/.469 for an OPS of .806 and a wOBA of .347 to go along with 17 homers and 65 RBI in 124 games.
He will compete with Chad Tracy.
Tracy is a lefty though and Millar bats righthanded. I don't see any point in signing Millar except for protection against injuries. Lou already figures to have to RH hitters with power on his bench in Baker and Nady so Millar's chances of making the team and extremely slim and none.
Unfortunately the Cubs have a GM whose philosophy is if he throws enough crap against the wall, something's bound to stick.... but it's still crap nonetheless.
Was the best post I have read on this blog in quite some time. Couldn't have said it better.
and maybe it is true, but look at it this way. This move costs the Cubs nothing, and gives them a platoon of Tracy or Hoffpauir and Millar if Lee were to be injured. Probably not going to happen and Millar probably won't make the team, but it doesn't hurt to have him around just in case. I can't imagine that he makes the team unless we have a significant injury though.
I agree, it would have to be an injury to Lee I would think.
John Grabow - 2 years, $7.5 million
Michael Wuertz - 2 years, $5.25 million
Wuertz >> Grabow; and its not even close.
THat's Hendry for you....
I liked Wuertz, but when he lost control of that slider in early 2008 and found Lou's doghouse, the writing was on the wall. Just like Eyre.
$7.5M vs. $5.25M >>>>>>>>>>>The law of supply and demand.
They look at what hand the pitcher throws with instead of their effectivness against a particular split of hitters.
Because Wuertz is better against both lefties and righties.
should have kept jake instead who will have a better season then X. We need starting pitchers ///////////////
Your boyfriend, Jake, is a whopping four years younger than Nady. And, if you didn't notice he only hit .259 with an awful .311 on base average last season. He also can't play a defensive position capably. Fox's batting average dropped every month, and bottomed out to a spectacular .246 in August and .167 in September.
And it's "than" not "then."
Regardless of James Stats & Pecota predictions, the game is played on the field not on paper. Baseball is a long season, injuries and surprises dominate.
I don't care what Sports Writers or TV or Radio Jocks predict, they go on pass performances, anything can happen in Baseball unlike most other sports.
What looks good on paper is not what is performed on the field.
Everything is nice reading and to listen too, but teams and players predictions before a season don't always work out. Cubs and Mets where predicted to win their Division in 2009, and failed.
My gut feeling is that one more Very Good Starting Pitcher, who he is I don't really know,would win the Division for the Cubs. Tom, Jim, Cub fans don't want to wait till 2011 we're tired of being patient. Tom in your first year MAKE IT HAPPEN. We're tired of waiting and dreaming Tom & Jim.
Signing a new contract with Arizona , and Fixing and improving Wrigley is fine, but we want results on the team.
Because I need somebody who can convince to get excited about this team. I see way too many holes, way too many question marks, and way too many things that have to go perfectly right for this team to sniff a playoff spot. I will give you that those things can happen, as the 1998 Cubs proved, but to honestly think that this team is as good as the Cardinals, Phillies, Dodgers, or any other upper echelon NL team, is a pipe dream.
I'm not a huge believer in Pecota, but historically speaking, they are pretty good with their win totals....
And no, Chad Tracy does not add wins to that formula.
Cubs are penciled in for 77 wins......
Can't argue with that, as this team is in for a long year....yet, Hendry continues to keep his job.
If I am not mistaken, they projected the Cubs for 92 wins, and the Cardinals at an 81-81 record. Maybe they are not the end all be all when it comes to predicting such things.
Basically all they do is look at last years numbers, figure win values, subtract wins for players you lost, and add win values for players you acquire. If Zambrano again wins 9 games, if Soriano is injured again and has the worst year of his career, if Ramirez missed 60 games, if Marmol pitches like he did in the first half, instead of like he has the rest of his career, if Soto gains his 40 pounds back before spring training.
I don't get the continual pessimism. If you hate the Cubs so much, why waste so much time on the message boards. If you think the season is wasted before it starts, go root for the Yankees. There is no reason to give up on the year before the season starts.
http://thecubreporter.com/2010/01/28/cubs-pecota-projections
I just can't stand the continual rose colored glasses look at this franchise. A franchise that continues to screw all of us over every single year.
It's not continual negativity, but since 2008 what has this team done to IMPROVE? The answer is nothing!!! They make side saddle moves, that they pray work out.
Look at this way:
-Soto: How do you know that his 2008 rookie year wasn't the mirage, and last year is the real deal?
-Dempster: How do you know that a guy driven by the need for a long term contract (2008), won't go through the ridiculous training regime that kept him at the top of his game throughout the season, again?
-Soriano: HE's not worth the money. He's a 7 inning player, who costs the Cubs a minimum of 10 runs a year by giving up on balls, taking bad routes, misplaying balls, etc. He also hasn't played a full season yet, and his running game is non existent. he also only thrived in the lead off spot, and now will be batting 6th where he'll see more offspeed pitches. you do the math.
You should see a HUGE year out Lee because his contract is up, and the guy wants to get paid 1 more time. Zambrano is the most overrated player on the team. We've been through this before, and everyone on here knows how I feel. I don't give a flying rats butt how many quality starts the guy has. How about winning 20 games, just once in your career? All you hear is about how great his stuff is, blah, blah, blah, but every manager is dumbfounded by his moronics on the mound that cost him wins.
Like I said, I don't buy into everything PECOTA says, but 77-83 is a pretty good range of wins for this team as of NOW. Acccording to Bruce, all major moves are over with, and adding a Chad Tracey, or Kevin Millar don't equate to much.
I just can't stand the continual rose colored glasses look at this franchise. A franchise that continues to screw all of us over every single year.
>>>>>
There's the thing though, the Cubs aren't screwing us over. I don't think they are even guilty of intentionally trying to produce losing teams year after year. We elected to be fans of the Cubs. Sure it's frustrating and I agree with quite a bit of your analysis of the team actually. The biggest frustration for me is when the Cubs never even get mentioned among teams that have shown interest in premiere players who become available via free agency or trade, especially when those players would fill positions where the Cubs clearly could stand to improve. Here's a large market team, one who praises their loyal fans, and in spite of having gone over a century now without a WS championship to reward those loyal fans, always seems to miss out on the elite players and overpay the mediocre.
-Soto: How do you know that his 2008 rookie year wasn't the mirage, and last year is the real deal?
>>>>>
I didn't look up any numbers, but just from watching the games, it seemed to me that Soto was hitting lots of balls on the screws but unfortunately right at somebody. My money is on a much better year for Soto, maybe not 2008 numbers but much closer to 2008 than 2009.
-Soriano: HE's not worth the money. He's a 7 inning player, who costs the Cubs a minimum of 10 runs a year by giving up on balls, taking bad routes, misplaying balls, etc. He also hasn't played a full season yet, and his running game is non existent. he also only thrived in the lead off spot, and now will be batting 6th where he'll see more offspeed pitches. you do the math.
>>>>>>
Agreed on the defense, Soriano is horrible and his deal was the worst contract ever awarded by the Cubs IMO. He did hit .268 with a .760 OPS in the six hole last year though, after struggling mightily to the tune of .228 and .716 in the leadoff slot.
You should see a HUGE year out Lee because his contract is up, and the guy wants to get paid 1 more time.
>>>>>>
Lee is probably going to have the same year regardless. We can only hope he's as good as last year, without the month of April.
Zambrano is the most overrated player on the team.
>>>>>>
Clearly not an ace but miscast as one and has been awarded the opening day start how many times now in spite of how he's fared in those contests, and in spite of other pitchers on the staff having had better seasons the previous year?
I 100% agree. While I would love to have a team full of players that are homegrown and live up to the hype, that isn't the reality of baseball. Not without a salary cap. The risk is too great. You can't sit back and pray that a Luis Montanez, or Bobby Brownlie, or Corey Patterson, or Pat Kline mature and live up to the hype. Keep them for trading chips, and pray that they don't bite you, like the Braves did for years. How is Andrew Lorraine anyways?
The Cubs should be IN on every major trade, free agent, etc.....They should be spending a ton, but there is a HUGE difference between spending money, and blowing money. That is one thing that Hendry just doesn't learn.
You can sit here and say, "well they are spending 140 million...what do you want?" well look at that 140 million, and the sad thing is that he overspent on 90% of the roster, for what he's gotten back in terms of production.
IMO, he should have been fired as soon as Bradley imploded, was sent home, and HAD to be traded. Especially, considering the Ricketts want to rope in payroll until the reinvesting is complete. THe guy overpaid for Bradley, when he could have a similar player at half the cost. He then sent him home, and then had to take another team's crap (Silva), so what did the Cubs really save? Nothing. Should have dealt him in July of last year. Same with Miles. Hell, what free agent from 2009 actually panned out?
Now, they have Fukudome and Soriano who both aren't worth their deals, so he has to go out and get another OF, Nady, who should be starting. Not to mention, what happens if Byrd implodes next year? Can you afford another high priced, rotation player, like Fukudome?
The bottom line is, is that Hendry has dug this team a hole that will take at least 2-3 years to get out of, and hopefully by that point....this team can sign legit players, instead of throwing 2-3 million at idiots like Aaron Miles, or Bob Howry, and Hendry (and his plethora of fannel short sleeve button up shirts), are long gone.
"Soto: How do you know that his 2008 rookie year wasn't the mirage, and last year is the real deal?"
No one "knows". No one CAN know. You can't know that it was a mirage. What we can do is look at the numbers. In 2009, his walk rate increased, his K rate decreased, he swung at fewer bad pitches, and made better contact in the strike zone. His BABIP was miserable. My conclusion is that he's much closer to 2008 than he is to 2009.
"-Dempster: How do you know that a guy driven by the need for a long term contract (2008), won't go through the ridiculous training regime that kept him at the top of his game throughout the season, again?"
His 2009 wasn't all the different from his 2008. He gave up a few more home runs. I expect a similar season to the last two years, ERA's under 4. Pretty good if you ask me. Actually if anything, I could see Dempster having a worse year because he set a personal best in his BB rate last season.
but Dempster's 2009 is nothing to complain about.
Soriano, I think he's done, personally, but that doesn't mean he can't get healthy and go back to his 2007 and 2008 numbers.
Hey Steve, Don't know if you know this or not, but any team that wins is going to have to have just about everything go right. Unless you are the Yankees. The Cardinals can't beat us unless Carpenter stays healthy, or unless Wainright pitches like Cy Young again. What about Ludwig? Clearly the league is adjusting to him. And their bullpen makes ours look fantastic.
And you know what, if we are in contention, we have prospects to use or trade. They don't.
I don't care if Zambrano wins 20 games. I don't personally think it will ever happen. He is simply not smart enough. But he can certainly win 15 - 17 games, as he has done it many times. Dempster can be Dempster. Marmol can be Marmol.
I don't think Soriano's best years are ahead of him, but I expect a better year than last year. I expect a healthy Ramirez, a more in shape Soto, hoping for a better Theriot(he seems to have a good year every other year), and hoping for decent production from Fontenot/Baker platoon at 2nd base. Also expecting better OF defense, and better offensive production from Byrd than Bradley(at least against RH pitching).
I don't really know what you expect Hendry to do to improve the team. He and the other management has us stuck with Soriano. You can't do anything about that. Aside from that, the payroll didn't allow much flexibility. Is that his fault? I am sure if he had another 15 million to spend, he might have gone and gotten Orlando Hudson and Pineiro, but the fact is, we didn't have the money. Yes, it is his fault, but you act like it is a new revelation. Whoever has this team is going to be stuck with that same contract situation.
And regardless of what some bozos think, the Nady signing is a good one, and Tracy was as well, considering risk/upside.
Between a 1998 Cubs team vs a 2008 Cubs team. Big difference.
I'm not discounting that guys have to live up to expectations, but I am doubting the roster the Cubs have, and what the expectations should be for these guys.
As for Zambrano, he has won 15+ games 3 out of his 7 years. His average year is 14-9 per baseball-reference.com Hardly an ace. I do agree with you about Zambrano not being smart enough to win 20 games. It will never happen, unless they score 5+ runs a start for him.
I agree on Ramirez, who is their best hitter. Including the clutch. I don't think Fontenot is worth crap, and that was the biggest mistake outside of Bradley, that Hendry did last year. Fontenot should be a bench player.
I just can't give Hendry a free pass, when it's his mess that is constricting this team from being a major market player. For 140 million, they have a very average roster, and that is alarming. Didn't he learn from the late 90s Mets and Steve Phillips?
Ricketts can say what he wants, but he really needs to start looking for funding (private or public) and either rip down Wrigley and rebuild on that property, or go elsewhere. They need updated skyboxes, suites, etc to draw more revenue. Playing at park with restricted seating is a thing of the past.
For the Cubs to win a WS, this will have to happen, and that's all I care about. Not a glorified museum.
Two different things. Fangraphs talks about that today. Pecota isn't PREDICTING. they are PROJECTING.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/of-projections-and-predictions
Those Pecota projections that you are touting were compiled and released prior to the Nady and Tracy signings. If both are healthy, I like this Cubs team. Would I like to see another proven big-league arm in the mix. Sure, who wouldn't, but if we start spring training with what we have now and make a couple of moves on the fly, I think we'll definitely be in the mix in the NL.
Just help me understand how you think this cubs team will be in the mix of things for a playoff spot. Realistically speaking, because I don't see it, and I have written way too many posts stating the huge IFS that have to happen for this team to compete.
Seriously, a cliffs note version:
-Lilly: out until late April at best...
-Nady: ditto
-Who is your 4 and 5 starters? Carlos Silva and who? Please.
-Zambrano: do you really think he's going to win more then 12 games?
-Soto: which was a mirage? 2008 or 2009?
-Soriano: Can he stay healthy, and has his decline begun?
-Who is your leadoff hitter?
-Who is your set up man?
I'm going to stop there....
Steve, I'm not going to help you try to understand anything, and frankly your continual whining is annoying. I'm not looking at this team through rose colored glasses, as you say, but it's clear that we view this team quite differently. Are there holes in the roster? Sure, but every team has 'em. Are the Cubs better right now, than they were at the close of 2009? You have to say that they are. Do the stars have to align themselves for the Cubs to have a shot at the playoffs? Not necessarily, but any team that wins a championship or makes the playoffs needs more of the "little things" to go right than wrong.
I like the fact, that with the additions of Nady, Tracy and possibly Millar, the Cubs have bonafide major league ballplayers to insert into the lineup should somebody go down. Tracy, Baker or Millar are all better options at 3B than Fontenot, if Ramirez goes down. Same for that group and/or Nady, instead of Hoffpauir, if Lee is hurt. Nady as insurance if Soriano is out, rather than Bobby Scales. This roster is deeper than last year's. Ideally, I'd like to have a middle infielder who is a genuine leadoff hitter, but it's fairly apparent, at this time, that we're going to have to make do with what we have.
No one knows about the injury/comeback timelines. Not you, not me.
4 & 5 starters come from a group which includes Tom Gorzelanny, Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Silva, Justin Berg, and who knows who else. "And that is just for about 2 starts in April, if Lilly is back by May. With early off days, a #5 won't be needed that often.
I do think Zambrano will win more than 12 games. I would expect him to come back to his normal 15 wins.
Soto - Batting average for balls in play says he was very unluckly last year. His conditioning should help him greatly as well.
Soriano - who knows about his healthy, but he should not have significant decline at 34.
Theriot or Fukudome can both leadoff better than Soriano.
Set up man is Guzman & Grabow right now. Probably another guy added before camp.
They are depending on Carpenter and Wainright for a lot...after that it is Brad Penny, Kyle Loshe and Rich Hill...That's isn't all that strong.
You have a David Freeze and Julio Lugo on the left side...I would take Ramirez and Theriot over that.
Wainright and Carpenter were Cy Young candidates last year. Carpenter's track record speaks for itself. In fact, I believe the only time the past 5-7 years, the Cubs have won the division, is when he goes down with an injury....Wainright could falter.
Look at the Cubs rotation:
1. Lilly---out til end of April, coming off shoulder surgery....
2. Zambrano---I'd take 14 wins today from this clown.
3. Dempster---2008 or 2009 version?
4. Wells
5. Silva
You also have the best pitching coach in baseball in Dave Duncan, who turned around Kyle Loshe, John Smoltz (who stunk on Boston), Todd Wellenmeyer, etc, etch.
Point is, he doesn't need marque names. Watch, Rich Hill will find his magic in St. Louis, and come May this board will be burning down about why we let him go.....
Lastly, I'll give you the left side. You also have Albert Pujols and Holliday in the primes of their career.
whydid thecubs go for abad arm out fielder when was avabile no other team didnt want to sighen him ithink the cubs need a new general manger bob pietrowski
ithink the cubs front office needs a new general manger email adress 102536 .comcast.net
why are the cubs so stupid geting one with a bad arm problem ithink there front office need agood shake up
Nady is a much better hitter versus lefty pitchers. He is an above-average starter against southpaws. He slips to the other side of the line--below average--when facing righties. No doubt, numbskull Hendry doesn't get this.
It's also quintessentially Cubbish that Hendry had to ask special permission of new owner Ricketts for the money to sign Nady, who may or may not be able to make the necessary throws. Please, please, Tom, let me pop the wad for one more physically suspect, over-30 veteran.
I'm not sure where you are getting your information from but it's inaccurate. Over the past three seasons in 1014 AB's (227 vs LHP and 787 vs RHP), Nady hit .278 with a .812 OPS versus lefties and was actually better against RHP with a .297 BA and .844 OPS. He's also been a very good hitter in the clutch, hitting .400 with a .907 OPS with the bases loaded, .308 with a .829 OPS with RISP and .362 with a 1.020 OPS with RISP and two out.
Compare Nady to Fukudome and Nady has been better versus RHP and much, much better versus LHP. This was a great pick up by Hendry.
WSB. Nothing 'inaccurate". I went by whole career. Not gonna look it up again, but I think it's 769 vs RHP, 854 vs LHP as compared to 792 vs all. Most common breakouts on any player are: career, 5-year, 3-year, 1-year. Good info that you posted 3-year. Peace.
My apologies then, I didn't look up career numbers. To be honest though, I think the past three years combined are a much better indication of what can be expected of the player, than are the career numbers.
Wsor's breakout of Nady's stat line is correct. No appreciable dropoff facing RHP as opposed to LH ones. Slightly lower, yes, but still well above the league average. This guy hits everybody, and there's no reason to suspect that he won't, this year. He's a good stick and a nice signing for the money.
And since that Nady was signed with the intention of having him keep Fukudome on the bench when they are facing lefties, it's an outstanding signing. Hendry is on a roll now with Maddux and Nady, now let's shore up that pitching.
is that Samardzija wins the starting job out of spring training. His stuff really reminds me of a young Kevin Brown. If he l ever stops trying to overthrow everything and pitch to contact down in the zone, I think he could be very good. Sinker/slider and keep em down.
Samardzija looks good for one inning only, after that he either tries too hard or loses it.
I don't believe he will ever be a decent pitcher. But the Cubs gave him a nice signing money, so they'll continue to try and put him out there.
Samardzija looks good for one inning only, after that he either tries too hard or loses it.
I don't believe he will ever be a decent pitcher. But the Cubs gave him a nice signing money, so they'll continue to try and put him out there.
Given his stat line prior to his injury and assuming health, the Nady signing is a rare low risk/high return move for Jim Hendry. We'll let time tell the real story, but this is one of those deals that could be in the top 5 of best free agents signings for the offseason when all is said and done. That would be a welcome change after being in the top 5 for worst free agents signings the last 3 years. And if it doesn't work, they're out only ~$3M as opposed to being locked in for 5 years and $90M or 3 years and $38M.
Sounds like getting a relief pitcher is next on the list. I still wish Hendry would abandon the idea of getting another bullpen arm, and look to add a starter. It's okay to hope and root for Randy Wells having a duplicate season. But to count on it especially with Lilly out for as much as 6-8 weeks is really foolish.
I have to agree that signing Nady may very well work out to be a fantastic move, provided he has no further complications with his elbow and is able to avoid missing any significant playing time with other injuries. I also agree that it would be great to add a SP, but adding another #5 SP isn't going to help. They already have Gorzellany, Silva, Marshall, and Samardzija (gulp), and one of their top prospects (Jackson, Cashner, Carpenter) might even win a spot by making a great impression in exhibition play. What they are missing is a true "ace" and they aren't going to land one of those. Sheets had that potential but was obviously deemed not worth the risk considering his asking price and health.
So given that the rotation is decent but isn't exactly going to strike fear in the opponents, the next best thing is building a quality bullpen. This is especially important since Lilly led all Cubs SP's last year with 6.6 IP/GS, followed by Dempster at 6.5, Wells at 6.1, and our supposed ace big Z at 6.0. And how much can they expect out of the #5 starter? That equates to a burned out bullpen and pretty much ensures that Lou will keep 12 pitchers.
I know that the bullpen is often a crapshoot and signing RP's to 3-4 year deals is a risky venture, but what options does Hendry have at this point other than adding a couple quality veteran RP's? I just read that Toronto has made it known that Downs and Frasor are available and that would be a nice pair to pick up if Hendry is unable to find quality FA's willing to sign 1-2 year deals.
Caridad and Berg may have impressed but they only pitched 31 innings for the Cubs between them and their AAA WHIPS were 1.41 and 1.26. Samardzija's AAA WHIP was 1.40 (1.76 in majors), so it's pretty ridiculous to count on him to contribute. Gaub and Stevens probably have the best chance among the major league ready RP's IMO, but the Cubs really can't afford to head into the season counting on 3-4 of the kids to round out the pen.
Right now they have Marmol (who has to do much better at finding the plate and get that 1.46 WHIP down a ton), Guzman (nice 1.05 WHIP last year but history of injuries), Grabow (1.24 WHIP) and Marshall (1.46 WHIP) pretty much locked in for four slots barring injuries. That still leaves 3 spots to cover with pretty much just the youngsters, assuming that Gorzellany is the #5 SP and Silva is in the rotation until Lilly is ready. That also assumes that all those guys are healthy.
If I were Hendry, I'd be very uncomfortable with the present options. I've said it before, I believe it's critical that they add a setup man who could step in as closer if Marmol flops. I'd like to see them add a premier lefty AND a premier righthander to setup for Marmol, use Guzman and Grabow in the 6th-7th innings, Marshall as lefty specialist and long relief, and then let the youngsters compete for the last spot in the pen.
How are the young pitchers going to get a chance if the Cubs keep signing veteran castoffs.
Come on, other teams take a chance trying younger minor league pitchers, and some suceed.
Marmol and Wells got that chance. As far as Downs, he pitched for the Cubs before they let him go. Let's see what we have before signing someone to a contract and having to keep him and pay him if he doesn't pitch well-Example Heilman, Hawkins. No one signed Calero even with his great stats in 2009, do the know something.
I prefer to see the young pitchers get their chance one or two at a time rather than having half the bullpen made up of unproven arms. That's a recipe for disaster as I stated, especially with a projected rotation that is missing an ace and made up of guys who aren't known for going deep into games. There are always going to be injuries that will provide opportunities for prospects. Wells took advantage of his last year, and it's conceivable that a Cashner, Jackson, Caridad etc. might impress in camp and get the nod over Silva to hold down Lilly's spot in the rotation until he's ready. And that might just lead to a permanent spot just like it did for Wells. Believe me, I'm all for the young prospects getting their opportunities but I don't want to see the pen full of four or more of them to begin the season, not if I'm holding out any hope that the Cubs will be contenders. And what if Guzman blows out his elbow in camp and Grabow hits the DL to begin the season? Then you have five rookies in the pen?
I have the same reservations about Wells, but I think Gorzelaany is going to be a welcome surprise, this season. It wasn't too long ago when he was THE up and coming LH starter in the National League. The guy has good stuff and knows how to pitch.
..this could be a really good signing.