This could be a big week for the Cubs. And I’m not just talking about the pants size of the guys who will be added to the roster. Tonight the Cubs will send Jerome Williams to the mound in Milwaukee. His last appearance against the Brewers did not go well. He gave up more runs than brats eaten, and he ate five brats.
On Sunday, The Franchise is set to return to face the other Chicago team. Then early next week, Kerry Wood will make his return, triumphant or not, against the Brewers in Wrigley.
Well that’s certainly good. You add three starting pitchers, all of above average talent and all 28 years old or younger (Prior and Williams significantly so).
So what do you do with all this pitching?
The rotation currently consists of four guys. Greg Maddux, the future Hall of Famer, who most of the time looks like a good starter, but on occasion will implode into something resembling batting practice. Glendon Rusch, the most consistent starting pitcher the Cubs have had all year. Carlos Zambrano, the toughest, least sane pitcher on the planet, who has had control problems in his last three starts, but has managed to keep the Cubs in a position to win all three games (they won two of them). Sergio Mitre, a guy who none of us knew had a sinker until three starts ago he decided to never let the other team ever hit a ball in the air, again.
You add in Williams who had to rot in Des Moines until his ERA slipped under his cholesterol level, Prior and Wood and that’s seven guys for five spots.
It’s just too bad there’s not a gaping hole in the bullpen that could be filled with a couple of these guys…oh, wait.
The consensus seems to be that if Williams pitches well tonight, he’ll get to claim a spot in the rotation. If he pitches poorly he’ll be back at the Des Moines La Quinta. Prior’s the best starting pitcher any of us have ever seen, so chances are he’s probably in the rotation someplace.
The Meat Tray may not have won a spot in the rotation with his recent run of dominance (and yes, bad luck and Bad Neifi caught up with him in the Bronx), but he did most likely earn a spot on the team so he’ll go to the bullpen.
Fine, that gives you a rotation of Prior, Zambrano, Maddux, Williams, Rusch and Wood. Nope, that’s one too many.
If you’re Kerry Wood, you want Jerome Williams to implode tonight. Because then you don’t have to answer questions from people as to why your return from the DL caused the most consistently good starter the Cubs have had this year to the bullpen.
Moving Glendon to the pen makes sense on a lot of levels. The Cubs have a dearth of quality lefthanded relievers. When Will Ohman is your best one, that’s like having the nicest powder blue tux at the prom. Mike Remlinger can’t get lefties out. Cliff Bartosh can’t get anybody out, and we don’t know much about Rich Hill other than he’s got a ludicrously big curveball and looks like a long lost Lachey brother.
(If anybody ever showed old 98 Degrees videos, I’m sure you’d see Rich in a red jumpsuit with Nick and Drew.)
Here’s the thing about Glendon. If you look at his numbers, he’s not exactly a lefty killer, either.
Righties are hitting .268 with a .352 on base average against him. Lefties are hitting .273 but with only a .278 on base average. He’s not exactly Rick Honeycutt.
With three pitchers coming in, according to my math it means that three guys have to go.
Bartosh is certainly one of them. And it’s probably time for Joe Borowski to make up a vague injury, like shoulder tendonitis. So then who goes? You can send Todd Wellemeyer back to Iowa…again…even though between him and Mike Wuertz you have a 50-50 chance each day of having a righty reliever who can throw a strike.
Rich Hill has to go back to Iowa. I know Hendry said that he wants Hill to get a good look as a lefty reliever, but even if you send Wellemeyer down you’re still at 12 men on the pitching staff, and that’s just too many.
The Cubs’ bench is woefully thin. On days you start Todd Hollandsworth and Michael Barrett, it means your bench is Jose Macias, Enrique Wilson, Jerry Hairston, Hank White and Jason Dubois. That’s it. I’m sure that quintet just has rival managers quaking while pondering the moves the Cubs could make. Oooh.
None of this solves the Cubs real problem. Even last night. They get three runs in the first then nothing. They scratched across a run to go up 4-0 and needed a Brady Clark gift to score the fifth, and winning run.
In today’s Sun-Times, Mike Kiley reports that Austin kEARnS wants to be a Cub. I’m on record as being all for this. However, Austin hasn’t exactly been lighting it up for the last…two years. He had a great rookie year, when he established that though he didn’t have the power of teammate Adam Dunn he was a better all-around player. He struggled in his second season a little bit, but last year injuries and all-around suckiness plagued him, and this year he’s been a disaster. His strike out rate has climbed every year, and that’s not a good thing.
The Cubs know he can play, though. He proved that again, and again and most painfully again, down the stretch in that hellacious series at Wrigley last year. He needs a fresh start and his decline in performance has dropped his value to a point where a trade for him would hardly be cost prohibitive in talent. You’re getting a guy who should be a star, though the Cubs have one of those in center and how’s that working out?
So here’s the deal. A trade for Kearns is an investment in the future. You can not expect a recently demoted player to slip into your lineup and carry you to the postseason. You could argue that a trade for Preston Wilson would actually be a much more impactful deal for this season, and nobody’s pretending that Wilson is the 1987 version of Andre Dawson.
Kearns is the Reds’ version of Corey. They’re basically the same age. They both came up young, but with one difference, of the two, only Kearns has posted more than a half season of good play in any one year. Kearns’ rookie year in 2002 is better (even though it was just over 100 games) than any 100 game stretch Corey has ever had.
Even what we thought was Corey’s “breakout” year in 2003 was one tremendous month (May — .333, 6 homers 20 RBI, 7 stolen bases) sandwiched between two average months (.277 April, .269 June). But we’d take either of those average months now, they’d be a Godsend right now.
Here’s the question. Would you trade, if the Reds were interested, Corey Patterson for Austin Kearns.
It’s a hypothetical, because it opens a hole for the Cubs (no centerfielder on the roster) and doesn’t solve the Reds’ outfield overcrowding. But it’s interesting nonetheless.
Career numbers wise, neither guy looks like he’s ever going to be the player he was supposed to be. But to look at a 25 year old player with obvious ability and give up on him is folly.
Of the two, which would you think is more likely to turn it around and fulfill his promise? That’s an easy one. Have we seen Corey give any indication he’s going to change an approach that is proven to not work? No.
But it’s a moot point anyway, because to get Kearns the Cubs will have to trade pitching. It’s the one commodity the Reds have none of. So if you traded for Kearns, you’d have him and Corey. Though there’s nothing from preventing you from trading Corey someplace else.
There’s the whole, much-discussed issue of would the Reds trade Kearns within the division.
Of course they would. Any GM worth his salt figures that he’s making a trade and getting back as much, if not more, talent than he’s trading. If you’re Dan O’Brien you would trade Kearns to the Cubs if you felt like you were getting back enough value. Instead of the fear of having Kearns come back to light up your club 19 times a season, you have the vision of the pitching prospects you got from the Cubs, shoving it up their hineys 19 times a season.
It’s just like this overplayed notion that Jim Hendry is shell-shocked from trading Dontrelle Willis. We’ve been through this before. I contend that in the long run it’s great for the Cubs that Willis turned out. It makes the potential of every Cubs’ pitching prospect that much greater in the eyes of other GM’s. If every prospect you trade (like the mid-’80s Mets) turns out to be overhyped and undertalented, eventually you have a hard time finding takers for your prospects.
It’s the complaint every team has about trying to trade with Tampa GM Chuck LeMar. Chuck wants to “win” every trade. It’s not enough to trade value for value. He has to hold out to the point where he thinks he’s getting more value than he’s giving up. That’s a noble ideal, but what it really does is it causes you to pass up on deals that could have helped you. You don’t want to get robbed blind in a trade, but there are times, say when you need a left fielder, where you might give up a starting pitcher even though you think the starting pitcher is of more value than the left fielder, because you have other pitchers to pick up the slack, but you don’t have other outfielders who can do the same. If the trade fills a gaping hole in left and you’ve got the pitching to compensate for the guy you lost, it’s a good trade. Even if the pitcher you dealt goes on to have a good career.
Look, trades where you trade nothing (Bobby Hill, Matt Bruback and Jose Jerkoff) and get an excellent player are great. But they rarely happen. You can not wait around for those. What you have to be able to do is pounce on those on the rare occasions they present themselves.
How far we’ve come. Back in 2004, if you’d suggested that Korey wasn’t that good in 2003 you got shouted down. Now, it’s conventional wisdom.
Oh, and while his June was poor, part of that includes the first 10 days of June when he was still on a tear. He tanked starting June 11th and hit .216 with 1 dinger and 9 RBI over his last 25 games before he shredded his knee.
How many people knew that once Andy wrote what he wrote today that “Look At Me” Chuck would be elbowing his way to the front of the line, clamoring for some attention.
if prior would get hit on his right elbow while batting right-handed
If Preston Wilson ends up being me, would that be so bad?
Dumb question, Hawk.
Hey. I gave you a half an hour.
I had me spitter working, I did.
Hey, I can hit my left leg with a foul ball while batting left handed. Anything can happen.
I require Spam, pineapples, and the finest salted/ cured meats.
Like all of these trade scenarios, I am just some retard’s dream.
I just got fired. So chances are the next manager won’t hate Adam Dunn as much as I did. You can probably scratch him off the list. Kearns? He’s a fat, lazy, bastard.
I once hit myself in the nose with a foul ball.
Tom Goodwin hit himself in the balls.
Stuff happens.
But that was with your chin Ryno……..
I once hit Ryno’s wife in the chin with a ball…
Well folks, honesty compels me to say that the Reds have made a big mistake by letting go of a living legend. Don Gullett will be sorely missed, as he is one of the finest pitching coaches the game has seen. Remember the Reds vaunted bullpen of the early 2000’s? I sure do.
All Prior has to do is put on the gi-normous elbow guard like I have. He can get hit all day and it’s painless! Unlike sex with Chip. Sure your ass doesn’t hurt, but a little piece of you dies the way he cries afterwards.
If I get hit, I get to run the bases. What’s the worse that could happen?
I once told the Cubs that to get Danys Baez, they would have to include Mark Prior in the deal.
Just bouhht my fourth yacht.
Livin’ large, is I…..
Hey Jim. Yeah, it’s me Chuck again. Okay I’m gonna bend a little this time. How about Prior, Zambrano, Ramirez, and cash…for Baez and Huff. I know it doesn’t look quite even on paper, but you have to look BEYOND the numbers. I’m talking intangibles and presence here Jim. Guys that get it done when it counts. Oh yeah, you would have to pick up most of their salaries too. You’ll get back to me later? Okay.
Yeah, what could go wrong?
Didn’t we only have to serve up Manny Aybar for the Crime Dog?
Not that, in retrospect, it was such a great deal, I’m just sayin’…
No lockout! We will have the full set of 82 playoff qualifcation games for you to ignore next year.
Huzzah!
Do I stand in line for unemployment in the States or in Canada?
Wish we could lockout all the offdays between playoff games, then maybe the playoffs wouldn’t take as long as a third of the regular season.
Good, maybe the Cubs will finally get rid of me and Dick “Shit on a” Pole and hire a real pitching coach.
These guys here suck…..
According to the Rocky Mountain News, the rockies want Johny Cedeno for Preston Wilson. That would be fine with me, just not Ronny!!!
According to sources at the Trib, a deal may be imminent for Preston Wilson. A deal is also on the table for Austin Kearns. The Cubs are also close to trading for Aubrey Huff. Additionally, the Cubs are about to pull the trigger on a deal for Gary Sheffield. And then there is the Patterson-and-Dubois-for-Andruw-Jones Rumblings.
If only Hendry had an Alomar in his back pocket…
Whoo. I just dodged a serious bullet there, no?
Hey, I have made a number of notable moves since becoming the D-Rays first (and only) GM in 1997.
Among my highlights.
My first trade was some bum named Bobby Abreu to Philadelphia for the great Kevin Stocker!
I didn’t make a trade in 1998. Not one. We were too loaded to mess with the core of the team.
In 1999 my big deals included:
Jason Johnson to Baltimore for Danny Clyburn (I thought he was the famous piano guy)
Joe Oliver and Humberto Cota to Pissburgh for Jose Guillen and Joe Sparks
Rolando Arrojo and Aaron Ledesma for Vinny Castilla
In 2000 I sent the Cubs Dave Martinez for Mark Guthrie!
I then traded Guthrie and Steve Trachsel to Toronto for Brent Abernathy
In 2001 I had a three-way with Billy Beane and the Royals! I traded Cory Lidle to the A’s and Roberto Hernandez to the Royals and got Ben Grieve. The A’s got Johnny Damon and Mark Ellis from Kansas City and sent Angel Berroa and AJ Hinch to KC.
I then pulled off the great Fred McGriff for Manny Aybar and Jason Smith deal.
In 2002, I made NO TRADES.
Baseball Reference doesn’t have my 2003 deals, but they were huge. The biggest was trading Randy Winn to the Mariners for Lou Piniella. Yes, I traded for our manager.
Last year I made three trades. The biggest was Victor Zambrano and Bartolome Fortunado to the Mets for Scott Kazmir and Jose Diaz.
Don’t tell me I’m not great at this job. I am!
The Cubs seek out players that have lots of me.
You forgot the deal with Oakland for Mark Kotsay and Ricky Rincon.
Hey, looks like I’m going away for a while. It’s only 40 years too late. Don’t let anyone tell you that the south isn’t moving forward.
K-Patt, Dubois, Mitre and Renyel Pinto for Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns, why not? Pinto was our #1 rated pitching prospect coming in to the season, and Mitre has shown he belongs in the big leagues. With Kearns in AAA, Cincy is basically gaining 3 big leaguers with a high-level pitching prospect in the can, for 1 starting outfielder that bats below 250 and is a malcontent.
Reds would make Dubois their 4th OF, he’d surely be less of an ass about it than Kearns was. K-Patt allows them to put Griffey in LF and Pena in RF. Mitre immediately becomes their #3 starter.
We, meanwhile, would now feature a 3-4-5-6 in our lineup of Lee, Dunn, Ramirez and Burnitz, how sick is that? I bat Walker leadoff of course, and try Kearns at #2; he HAS posted high OBP before. If not Kearns there, I put him 7th and let Barrett hit 2nd. Neifury hits #8 until Cedeno takes over the job.
This stuff is easy! Where’s my rum and coke! Where’s my Rally Lace?
What about my offer ? Mine was better. Jim, I’m still waiting for your call buddy.
According to me, landing one of the Reds bats, or Preston Wilson would get us in a position to make the playoffs.
“Prior’s the best starting pitcher any of us have ever seen”
Time to ratchet down the dosage. Way down.
What am I chopped liver ?
I’m pretty good too. Right ?
“If every prospect you trade (like the mid-’80s Mets) turns out to be overhyped and undertalented, eventually you have a hard time finding takers for your prospects.”
I’ve been successful in dealing my top prospects and players for good talent in return. I’ve traded that super stud Andy Pratt. I traded Millwood. I traded Jermaine Dye and many more!!!
Okay, I confess…it was I, McPrior, who wrote that sentence about the great Mark Prior.
Ever seen us, Andy?
Wait, the Houston Chronicle can win the NL Central? Can our sports desk win the NBA’s Midwest Division?
I can bet Prior silly in my underwear.
No, you’re an assclown.
Nice to see we’re off the 60 day DL. Hope the pajama tops get sent down
Yes sir, we can win it all. Yee Haw !!!! Even without my good buddy and fellow great writer Phil Rogers. Ya Hoo !!! Ride em’ cowboy !!!!
I can bet ANYBODY in my underwear.
How many years did I teach those damn kids ?
I’ve seen Carlton and Clemens. On Prior’s “most similar through age 23” listing. Of course, his most similar pitcher ever is Mark Fidrych and we know how that turned out.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/priorma01.shtml
Since I live in a trailer, am I a cardinals fan ?
Well sure, Chronicle. You’re only 10 games under .500. Just trade for Carlos Beltran again, then we’ll talk.
Good news! The Free Press will win the NFC North, especially after we pick up another linebacker!
We offered Mariotti to the Houston Chronicle for Chris Burke. But they told us they wouldn’t trade one famous retard for another.
We put up some of the most dominant years ever, but after age 23. Prior could get better or stay the same, but either way, he’s got work to do if he wants to be like us. Or even Greggie or Roger.
That’s it. You fuckers are gonna be hearing from my lawyers.
Jay,
We’ve demoted you to the Des Moines Register.
I read it as meaning I was the best Cubs’ pitcher you have all ever seen, which would be true, since most of you never saw Fergie and Greggie was the best Braves’ pitcher you’ve ever seen.
I’d like to remind you that even though I’ll be back a month early from a near catastrophic elbow trauma that I’m a wuss who doesn’t know the difference between pain and injury. At least that’s what I hear when I listen to those informative Steve Stone call in things on the Score. But if anybody knows anything about having your career flame out it’s Steve Stone.
Good, now I can take center stage. I would look great on Around the Horn, just like my buddy Jackie MacMullen. Now what shade of lipstick should I wear ?
Wait, you mean I’m older than Mark Prior? Well how come he’s not still playing with his head up his ass like I do? Is he trying to make me look bad? I’ll have to turn around and watch on the big screen at Miller Park to see if I look bad.
Hey, nice to see you there Jay! Welcome to Iowa. Oh, wait, don’t unpack that box yet. Here’s a bus ticket to Jackson, Tennessee.
I won a Cy Young once. How dare you speak ill of me. By the way, who’s the visibility ?
We’ve already planned our big parade for the day after game four of the World Series. It was nice of those Boston fans to offer to help us sweep up after last year’s.
I meant how’s the visibility…guess I should be the one selling cars.
Hey Steve! I won that award, too! If you hollow it out you can use it as a bong!
Let’s see how good Prior is in our ballpark. We play nine innings, not six like they did that day they beat us at Wrigley!
Anybody want to test drive a new Montego?
Hey, did someone say bong ?
I hope we don’t get Mike Downey’s rehab stint.
Please. No Jay in Iowa, OK? This place is heaven enough already.
You are right Don. I sure wish I had Garland’s stuff.
We just had a contest, you know gearing up for the Hall of Fame stuff this summer. It was a Peter Gammons look a like contest.
Jackie McMullan won.
Again.
Please. No Jay in Jackson, OK? This place sucks enough already.
Don,
I beat you in 9 this past May. Are you still bitter about last July 4th?
Anybody else see me on Chicago Tribune Live last night?
I look like the crazy showgirl who quit on the last Survivor.
“Go Irish!”
Don’t even think about sending Jay to the Rookie level.
Screw you Prior. You know NL teams only play six innings.
I’ve got a Grand Marquis with low miles. Little old lady owned it, only drove it to church on Sundays when the Bears won.
Come see our new Tiger ex-twava-gwanza!
Hi, Don. I know you hate me because I was a mediocre MLB pitcher.
How was your three-season career in the Majors?
Don…stop it…stop fighting!!! (clasps hands over ears) Coop…stop it…I…I’m in love with him. 6 innings or not, I love him.
Mark,
I tell you, e-mail and Internet no good. It will keel your elbow. You must keel White Sox. If you no puede mortir White Sox, I do it.
Whoo doggie! The bottom fell outta that one like a mississippi mud-pie.
Uh, Don, that was, uh, me, who, uh, got the, uh, win, in um, that, um, game last year, you know. I, um, pitched, you know, 6 innings, before the rains came.
Hey El Toro, my wife, she tell me to find you and invite you to taco nite at my house. I tell her, I know how to find heem, that is why I come to the internet, I know you be here. Bring fresh salsa. i see you tonite.
Thanks, Carlos Lee.
We go to your house and talk about Guillen. He says, I am a Venezuelan f$@$!. I must keel him and Podsednik. That Ken Williams is no good. I must keel him too.
Taco night sound like fung, mang! Can me and Freddie Garcia come up there? We love Mrs. Lee’s tacos. Have plenty of beer, wine and liquor too. I get wasted mucho, mang. Being drunk is fung.
Carlos, if you not bring fresh salsa, I slap you.
My husband no realise that when he invite his frens to Taco, it is really my hairy taco on which they dine.
Carlos, you misunderstand mee. I tell you to invite El Toro to *my* taco.
Freddy Garcia is suing us again, something about Bald Bull being made in his likeness. Even though he was like 5 when Punchout came out.
Hey, Mrs. Lee – get your own fucking punchline, mang.
Usually, at taco nite, I am to bring the flan…tonite, Aramis, he bring the flan. Now I hear this is for pleasure of a woman ? Hank must turn taco nite down now. I am muy dissapointed in you Carlos.
Carlos! You a beegamist?
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH ALL THIS PAELLA?!?!?!
Is okay, Hank. I take you to IHOP for stuffed french toast. I have my connections, I get us a booth, no matter how crowded.
I hear the Blachawks need a new coach.
I get royalties from IHOP, man.
All of you Mexicans are invited to dine at us! Just don’t bring the negroes!
My ex-wife Eleanor Mondale has brain cancer. That’s why things didn’t work out between us. Not the cancer, but the fact she had a brain.
Yeah, you tell em’ Denny’s. And if they don’t listen…kill the bastards.
We’re better than her brain!
Boobs are ALWAYS better than brains.
Duh.
I did Bill Clinton.
Did he rape you, too Eleanor?
BFD, Eleanor. We all did Bill Clinton.
Ah, yes. Little Eleanor. I remember her from my WKQX morning show in Chicago. DestructoPhone. Guess the Whoopie. Jim Volckman doing Harry Caray. All were bits from the show. And Eleanor was there!
Where’s the beef?
Bend over.
That’s backwards.
Where’s my campaign adviser who told me to promise a tax increase? Pure gold!
I remember I used to be on with Phred Huebner in the morning.
Carlos is bringing us to Taco Nite!
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/transactions/index.jsp
Anybody know any good strip bars in Des Moines? My girlfriend’s going to need a job.
If idiots like me continue to say that Pujols is the best all around player in the game, people will start to believe it. Have I actually seen him play defense? Or run the bases? Can he hit? Sure he can. That is it though. This all around player shit needs to stop. Never has anyone so undeserved of a gold glove, been mentioned for it so much.
You know, take a look at my stats. I have the best range factor of any MLB first baseman. Even I don’t argue that this is a definitive stat, but I’m not at all bad at first.
Aren’t the Reds us?
We both have some people who can hit, but nobody who can throw a decent ball consistently.
This is the case every year so we always look like we’re about to get better.
But we both consistently suck ass through a straw.
So we fire our coaches and then our assistant coaches.
And we’re both run by some of the most selfish and stupid assclowns in pro sports!
That’s us!
My range factor is skewed, look at my number of assists. All I am saying is my range at 1st, contrary to what Joe Buck will tell you, ain’t all that great. I have 18 sb in 31 attempts, a low fielding percentage, and I get a ton of gift scoring decisions at home. No one is debating the fact that I can rake, but I am not this amazing 5 tool complete player that people make me out to be.
I am a better complete player than Albie.
So am I.
Looks like I’m done bein’ in them Six Flags commercials.
anyone seen my dettached retina?
No massa, but I za’ gonna fine’ it fo’ you massa.
Fiesty, get over here and carry my bags boy! You speak when spoken to. Yes!!!
I wish you’d quit hitting me in between innings, Hawk.
You don’t know how much I love you. You’ve turned this Cali boy into
a bona fide ‘neck. I talk this way for you! I don’t mean to act stupid, but you
make me nervous.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
DJ
You aren’t a 5 tool complete player. Just a tool.
I’m a five tool player.
Albie’s a two tool, tool.