Kaz Meets Exclusively With the Cubs

Kaz Matsui met exclusively with the Cubs on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, at a lunch date 1-on-1 with Jim Hendry. I like Hendry's dedication to getting Matsui. I still think it's a good idea to get Kazuo Matsui, who is coming off a career year.

Kaz rejected a 2 year, $7 million contract from the Rockies. To me this means the Rockies are out of the picture, and a previous report said that the Cubs and Rockies are ahead of the Astros. Well, if the Rockies are out of the picture, than it's down to the Cubs and Astros.

Either way, this is good news to me. Also, the Cubs are still interested in Kosuke Fukudome, who has recieved 2 offers from Japanese teams. He is now said to be turning his attention to U.S. teams, which is also in the sun-times report I have up above for Kaz Matsui's meeting.

That's all for today,

Ryan

John McDonough to the- Blackhawks?

The buzz is confirmed, president John McDonough has left the Cubs to become the president of the Chicago Blackhawks. So I'm thinking that this can only be another distraction in a very uneventful offseason-to-date.

Not only do the Cubs need players, they also need someone to buy the team, and they need a president. That could put a lot of stress on the team. But why would he leave forthe most pathetic of all Chicago teams, the blackhawks?

It just doesn't make sense. I guess if he likes the blackhawks more than the Cubs and can get into it more, which would be good for the hawks, I guess, so 1- blackhawks, 0- cubs. I just wish McPhail never would've left.

That's today's post, so until tomorrow,

Ryan

Luis Castillo Off The Market

Luis Castillo, a suspected cubs prospect free-agent, signed a 4 year pact with the New York Mets. This takes him off the market, but many still remain. Kaz Matsui, who I think would be a good pick-up, is still on the market, as well as outfielder Kosuke Fukudome.

The Cubs also have been said to be "taking a flyer" on Bartolo Colon. Colon would be a decent pickup, although the past two seasons his ERAs have been over 5, and in 2007 it was a staggering, Jason Marquis like, 6.34 ERA.

Well those are some things to think about.

(Tomorrow's story may have something to do with John McDonough, my sources tell me)

Ryan

That's Just Fantastic, 101 Years In The Coming

Not sarcastically either. Lou Piniella says that by the year 2009, the Cubs will be a World Series team. It's truly a great article.

Also, Goatriders.org in it's most recent post brings up a great point. The Cubs have approximately 28 million to spend, and they ask how you would spend it. I don't want to steal their idea, so I'm not going to tell you to answer that in a Cub-ment like on the poll. I'm just going to tell you my ideas.

First of all, I'd sign Kaz Matsui for that 3yr/14.4mm he was offered. That spends about 5 million/year, we'll say, so the Cubs have 23 million left. Then I'd pursue Japanese Chinichi Dragon OF Kosuke Fukudome. That would probably be 8-10 million/year. The Cubbies now have 13-15 million left to spend. I'd re-sign Kerry Wood for a 1 year contract for 2 mm/year with incentives for number of appearances. That leaves the Cubs probably 9-10 million left. I'd then trade one of my favorite Cubs, Matt Murton, and another Cub, Ryan Dempster, along with Rich Hill to relieve some salary for a well-to-do 4 or 5 starter. An example of this would be Cliff Lee. That would add most likely about 3 million to the Cubs payroll, and then I'd trade Marquis for a 5 starter like James Shields.

We'll then assume the Cubs have 15 million to spend. I'd then sign Bartolo Colon for 7 or 8 Million, as no-one in their right minds will ever give him 4 years/51 million again after 2 horrible years. That way, the Cubs have enough money to sign somebody if something doesn't work out, they have enough money to trade and pick up salary, and they have all of their immediate needs filled. That's just me though.

Also, I have to give a shoutout to my favorite quarterback in the NFL Rex Grossman and I want to wish him luck tomorrow, and GO BEARS. If they go 6-1 in their last 7 games, they have a great chance of making a wild card spot.

Until tomorrow,

Ryan

Kaz Matsui, Carl Crawford

Good news, the trade with the Tigers for Omar Infante DOES NOT mean that he will be the starter. Dave Kaplan of Chicago's WGN Radio says the Cubs will have a multi-year deal with free agent Kazuo Matsui later this week. Sources have suggested that the Cubs have offered the former Rockies 2nd baseman around 3 years, 14.4 mm.

Carl Crawford also doesn't seem to be out of the picture. Nick Cafardo says that the Cubs are making a push for Crawford in a deal that would give the Rays Rich Hill, Carlos Marmol, and who knows what else? It seems to me this may be slightly off the mark, especially after all the buzz of Marmol as a closer and the somewhat inconsistency of the bullpen even WITH Marmol. Rich Hill makes sense, as there are starting pitchers on the market, such as Matt Clement, Bartolo Colon. Besides, Rich pitched like me towards the end of the year. He had a little more zip on his fastball, though. Cafardo's theory backs Bruce Levine's theory from a few days ago, although Levine's theory was dismissed by Roger Mooney.

Most of this information comes from http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/chicago_cubs/index.html, the Cubs rumors from MLBTradeRumors.com, but I also have used other sources of information available to me. That's my post for the day, I'll be changing the poll soon, so have a nice day.

Until next time,

Ryan

A-Rod, Barry Bonds Stir Things Up

A-Rod shook up my world today, and I'm sure yours (not that there are and of "you", I have no readers), too. The New York Daily News reports that A-Rod has agreed to a 10-year, 275 MM contract. They aren't the only ones, of course, that say this, they are just the ones I chose to use because of the article. Can you say overpaid? Not that he doesn't deserve it now, but there will be a day in age where he won't be hitting a baseball like it's the sears tower and he can't miss. I think this will be a great deal for the Yanks for the next 3 or 4 years, and then surely, his production will slow down to glacier speed. Well, actually, I believe he'll never have a season for the rest of his career where he doesn't hit at least 25 homers, but still, 27.5 mm for 25 homers isn't good enough.

Barry Bonds, too, shook up the town of San Fransisco, my town, your town, Bud Selig's town, Greg Anderson's town, and many other towns today, as he was inicted with 4 counts of perjury and 1 count of obstruction of peace. I've always been a Bonds fan, so I truly believe this will tarnish his reputation. Maybe he didn't know he was gaining 30 pounds a year because of 'flaxseed oil'. Actually, though, everyday I find it harder to back him up. That is just my observation.

Anyway, on to the Cubs news. Zambrano finished 5th in NL Cy Young award this year. He never had a chance. Nobody did- not when Peavy was striking people out, winning games and shutting teams run producers down. He won the NL Triple Crown for pitchers, and incredible feat. I congratulate him, although it would've been nice to see Big-Z win it.

Well, That Just Burst My Bubble

A-Rod has interest in rejoining the Yankees.



Carl Crawford deal is a bust. That wasn't going to get off the ground, as I figured. I had wishful thinking, however, and I let it consume me yesterday, and I am sorry. Right now, with the info we have my projections for the 08 season are:

1. Alfonso Soriano


2. Omar Infante


3. Derrek Lee


4. Aramis Ramirez


5. Kosuke Fukudome


6. Mark DeRosa


7. Geovany Soto


8. Felix Pie (uhh?), Milton Bradley


9. (Pitcher)

All things considered, that is a fair lineup. Infante, as I discussed a couple days ago, will most likely result in reduced production, but Soriano could make up for some of that if he can hit homeruns in 2008 at a more consistent pace than knocking the crap outta the ball in September but no other month. If Derrek Lee's wrist is back to 100% strength, you can expect the Cubs #3 hitter to hit more homers, and if his average stays up there, then by all means he should make up for the rest of what Infante lacks.

Aramis was amazing this year, and I would expect him to play at that level next year, as he has been fairly consistent since the cubs got him from the Pirates. Fukudome I can't really vouch for, but his stats show he can have a good average, and has some pop in his bat, as well. DeRosa's been an above average hitter the last 2 seasons, but I wouldn't expect him to continue that, as he might go back to his ways of hitting in the mid to low .270s. Geovany Soto is yet unproven in big league play, but he was great in AAA, and he played well in major league play at the end of the year.

I like this lineup, especially if they can get off to a better start than last year. If they can end just as hot, start better than 2007, have a decent to strong middle, they'll be a playoff team in a weak NL Central division. The only problem after that, though, is the playoffs. They Cubs played like a little league baseball team in October, and made Dane Cook's job a whole lot easier. Well, that's all I have for today,

so until next time,

Ryan

Cubs Trade Monroe for PTBNL, and a Great Rumour

Today the Cubs made a move with the Minnesota Twins. That move was giving them Craig Monroe. Smart Idea. Now we'll have 3 outfielders for our push for Carl Crawford, the Tampa Bay Rays outfielder.

Also, The Cubs want to re-sign Prior, and Kerry Wood and have him close. Well, quite possibly Prior, as well. Also, according to ESPN radio, they want Dempster to start in 2008, and they want Marmol, Howry, or obviously Wood close.

Hendry continues to amaze by his interest, along with the Rangers, in Coco Crisp. The Cubs, like I have previously stated, also have interest, along with the Padres, for Kazuo Matsui, the free agent 2ND baseman from the Colorado Rockies.

So, needless to say, it has been a good, if not somewhat surprising off-season so far to date.

Infante to the Cubs... [From 'Yay' to 'Nay' in 30 minutes]

When I first read the article about Infante coming to the Cubs for Jacque, I was ecstatic. It couldn't have gone better. Now we have room for Fukudome in RF, Bradley/Hunter/Jones/anyone else in CF, and SS is taken care of. I changed my mind in 30 easy minutes, and I think I can change yours (I use the term 'yours' loosely because there are none of "you", I don't have readers.)

Last year, Infante played 66 games, had 166 at-bats and hit .271. When he got in the game the Tigers went 36-30, 21-18 when he started. His longest hit streak was 5 games. He had 178 PA this year. He had 17 RBI, and had 118 men on base when hitting. The average hitter with 178 PA in a season has 21 RBI with 5 less runners on base. That's HUGE. Those chances are the ones that change games. He had a 14% success rate of getting runners home compared to a league average of 19%, which leaves him at a -5%.

On the flip side, Jacque had 135 games, 453 at-bats and a .285 average, with a disappointing 5 homers. While I agree he doesn't have enough power to be an everyday outfielder, he hits the ball and faced with oppurtunity, he drives in runs. In his appearances this year, the Cubs went 71-64, 59-54 when he started. He had 495 PA, 66 RBI, with a total 345 men on base when he stepped up to the plate. The average player with 495 PA gets 58 RBI, with 314 on base. This is a 19% success rate for Super-Jacque, compared to a league average of 18%. That leaves Mr. Jones at a +1%.

If Infante has the same amount of PAs next year as Jacque did this year with the same amount of runners on (or if he has more), it would deprive the Cubs of 17+ runs. That's a lot of runs. It might not seem like a lot, but it is essential. If you won a game 3-2 last year, you might not be so lucky this year. For example, July 24th, 2007. Jacque Jones went 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an RBI. In the top of the 2nd inning, he singled home Cliff Floyd. This ended up being an essential run for the Cubs. If not, when the Cubs and Cards both scored in the 9th, we'd have been headed to extras, not Big Z's 13 w of the year.

If I haven't changed your mind, you are a brick wall and you cannot be swayed except by little puppies and ice cream.

Have a good one,

Ryan

Trade Rumor

Sorry that I didn't get to write much today, but an interesting trade rumor has surfaced about Jacque Jones for Omar Infante. That's something to think about. Comment on your thoughts. Would this make sense? You tell me!

Ryan

Off-Season To Do List

First and foremost, the Cubs need the following, [Position- Most Suitable]:

1. SS- Kazuo Matsui



2. SP- Hiroki Kuroda



3. RF- Kosuke Fukudome



4. CF- Torii Hunter

Kaz Matsui just had a season where he hit .288 and fielded 2nd base very well. We all like Theriot, but let's be honest; he didn't get the job done last year. We need someone who can consistently hit the ball and field his position. Theriot had the defense down, but not quite a hero on the offensive side of his game. Kaz may cost more than Theriot, but it will be good to have a producer in there. That said, how do we know that season wasn't a fluke altogether? Well, there isn't any way to tell right now, but that is a gamble worth taking. What's the worst that could happen? Another Alex S. Gonzalez? Nevermind, bad memories, but still, it's a good fit.

Japanese pitching sensation Hiroki Kuroda is a possibility for the rotation. Rumours have been going around about Hendry going crazy trying to get Kuroda, Fukudome and Matsui. Well, Kuroda has his upsides. In 2007, he threw 179 1/3 innings in 26 games. 62 Major Leaguers threw more than him, but all of them had at least 28 starts. Of those 26 games he threw 7 complete games. That amazes me. He averaged going 6.89 innings per start. That is behind Rays pitcher James Shields who averaged 6.93 innings per start, and Blue Jay's ace Roy Halladay who average 7.26 innings per start. He also trailed C.C. Sabathia and Brandon Webb, and Fausto Carmona. Those 5 pitchers, though, are all at the top of their game and 3 of those pitchers are aces in thir respective rotations, except for Shields, who is behind Scott Kazmir, and Carmona, who is behind Sabathia. Kuroda also had a 12-8 record and 3.56 ERA.

Kusoke Fukudome played in 81 games this year, batting at a .294 average. In 269 official at-bats, he had 22 doubles, 13 homers, 48 RBIs, 64 runs, 11 stolen bases vs. only 2 caught stealing, and an average of .318 with Runners in Scoring Position (RiSP). Fukudome's .520 Slugging Percentage was behind that of 20 Major League hitters. That may not be the best SP% out there, but it'll get the job done, as it was only lower than 2 Cubs starters-- Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano. Derrek Lee's was .513, Soriano's was .560, and Ramirez's slugging percentage was .549. He also has speed 11/13 steals. This makes him fit the bill for a 2 hitter-- he has good contact and good running ability.

Torii Hunter hit .287 with 28 homers, 45 doubles and stole 18 bases in 2007. In terms of fielding, he made 2 errors in 394 total chances with 5 assissts, a .995 fielding percentage. He's been known to make a ton of web gems playing center field, and he's definitely a better hitter than the platooned starters, Felix Pie, and Jacque Jones. I would love to see Torii in a Cubs uniform come next season, and he'd complete an outfield that needs completing. He and Fukudome, if both signed, would make a dynamic and very athletic outfield.

Kaz Matsui as a Cub

Torii Hunter as a Cub

Sorry, I couldn't find any suitable photos to use to photoshop Kusoke Fukudome or Hiroki Kuroda with.

Until tomorrow's post,

Ryan

Free Agent Comparison.. Dig In!

Well, here is my post for today, a chart* I created recognizing, in my opinion the top 30 free agents on the market. 15 of them hitters, 15 pitchers, not by coincidence. Enjoy! Tomorrow's post will be about 2 Japanese players, Kusoke Fukudome, as see in this post, and Hiroki Kuroda, who may become Cubs. Also, Kaz Matsui, who Hendry is "aggressively pursuing," will be in that article. Until tomorrow,



Ryan, Die-Hard Cubbie Fan
*To see the chart up-close, click on it with the mouse.

Free Agency

If it was during the season or playoffs, which I completely by passed unfortunately, I'd be doing the nice date header, opponent, pics of the starting pitchers, etc., but instead during the off season, I try to write longer articles as opposed to fancy work.

Free Agency is a wonderful thing. This year, however, it may be a secret agent working against the Cubs. Scott Eyre, Cliff Floyd, Jason Kendall, Wade Miller, Steve Trachsel, Daryle Ward, and Kerry Wood all became free agents this year.

Ward had his option accepted, Floyd had his declined, and so did a Steve-O, who had a horrendous '07 campaign in blue. The Ward deal was a move of genius, meaning that only an idiot wouldn't have exercised his option.

Woody and Scott could be harmful to the friendly confines next year, as Eyre has been a huge piece to the 'pen the past 2 seasons. He and Wood are valuable. If Wood and Eyre leave, and Marquis gets traded (please!! any takers?), the Cubbies are in deep "doo-doo".

That would potentially and most likely result in Dempster to the rotation, Bobby Howry as the closer, maybe Marmolade. That means that the Cubs have 5 starters, 1 closer, and 4 relievers. The 2 out of the puzzle were 2 of the best last year, cutting out Eyre's first half. Still, they are both very talented from the bullpen.

If this happens as I have described it, assuming Sean Marshall gets fed to the dogs, as he well should, there are a good many options:

1. Get Neal Cotts up here for the first month or so to see if he can re-claim a spot in the pen and sign a reliever,
2. OR sign a pair of relievers as if it was 2006 and we were talking about Howry and Eyre.

Those relievers could be any of the following:

1. Alfonseca, the former Cub
2. A. Benitez
3. S. Chacon?? Also could start if Dempster doesn't mesh well as an SP
4. F. Cordero, maybe keep Howry and Marmol as set up men?
5. E. Gagne
6. former cub Latroy Hawkins
7. Todd Jones, who could close and keep Howry and Marmol in da 'pen
8. Jorge Julio
9. Ray King
10. former cub Ron Mahay, pretty amazing in '07
11. Linebrink
12. Jose Mesa
13. Percival, who could close (duh)
14. Mariano Rivera, closer
15. Bob Wickman
16. 2006 Cubbie Scott Williamson

There are tons more, too, and I guarantee that if Hendry isn't hibernating like from the dawn of time until 2007, then we should sign at least one of those hand-picked, cut above the rest (mostly) relievers.

Until tomorrow,

Ryan

Looking Forward to 2008

Hello my (limited amount of) readers.

I am sorry to inform you that Jim Hendry claims that he has no interest in getting A-Rod, the best hitter in all of baseball.

According to an MSNBC report from Tuesday, " 'Doesn’t make a lot of sense,' said Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry."

This isn't good news, but it could be worse. Also, the Cubs have made it clear that Dempster will be moved. I speculate a move to the rotation, which would be fine for me. I'm not crazy, but he is a former All-Star starting pitcher and 15-game winner. Sounds better than 3/5 of our rotation.

I would be OK with a lineup much like this one when opening day comes back around:

1. Alfonso Soriano-- LF
2. Ryan Theriot-- SS
3. Derrek Lee-- 1B
4. Aramis Ramirez-- 3B
5. Mark DeRosa-- 2B
6. Jacque Jones-- CF
7. Matt Murton-- RF OR
8. Kosuke Fukudome-- RF
9. Geovany Soto-- C
10. (Pitcher)-- P

That lineup wouldn't bother me a bit. In my opinion, Murton should've been a starter in right last year. He led the team in BA the year before, and that means it was a Dusty-like move.

Murton also hit well off the bench towards the end of the year after being recalled from Iowa. To me, though, it seems like Lou hasn't really taken to Murton that well. Murton's power numbers have also gotten better in at-bats:homers ratio.

The pitching rotation should look something like this:

1. Carlos Zambrano-- RHP
2. Ted Lilly-- LHP
3. Jason Marquis-- RHP
4. Rich Hill-- LHP
5. Ryan Dempster-- RHP

Also, Bartolo Colon is on the market. Not ace material anymore (posting a 6.34 ERA in 2007 and a 5.11 ERA in 2006), he should come at a discount price for a starter. Other notable starter free agents:

• Tony Armas Jr.
• Roger Clemens
• Matt Clement
• Scott Elarton
• Josh Fogg
• Tom Glavine
• Mark Redman

The bullpen should look like this:

1. Will Ohman-- LHP
2. Michael Wuertz-- RHP
3. Scott Eyre-- LHP**
4. Kevin Hart-- RHP
5. Kerry Wood (SU)-- RHP
6. Bobby Howry (SU)-- RHP
7. Carlos Marmol (CP)-- RHP

There are also free agents availabe for unsure spots in the pen such as Kevin Hart, maybe? They are:

• Antonio Alfonseca
• Armando Benitez
• closer Fransisco Cordero
• Scott Eyre**
• Eric Gagne
• LaTroy Hawkins

**He is actually a free agent right now but I can't see the Cubs NOT re-signing him. He was such a valuable asset towards the end of the 2007 season.

Those are my predictions and projections for the upcoming season, just a little earlier than expected.

For 2007 stats of hitters, go to http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/sortable_player_stats.jsp?c_id=mlb

For 2007 stats of pitchers, go to http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/sortable_player_stats.jsp?c_id=mlb&baseballScope=mlb&teamPosCode=all&statType=2&timeSubFrame=2007&sitSplit=&venueID=&Submit=Submit&timeFrame=1

Thanks for reading. Also, www.baseball-reference.com is also a great website to check out for statistics, as are www.goatriders.org and www.baseballalmanac.com.

Until next time,

Ryan

Long Break, A-Rod

After a long break to realize my calling in life, I find myself back here writing for my beloved Cubbies. It's been since the 1st of August since, I've written, not that I have readers to enjoy leaving comments, so I wasn't missed, but I missed writing. I live to write, not just to write but to write about what I understand, and that is baseball. All baseball, but more in-depth, Cubs baseball. And now to the good stuff.



A-Rod is on the market, and causing buzz around Major League Baseball. Every writer for every team like me are asking the same questions: Should we go after A-Rod? Will we go after A-Rod? Could we realistically get him?



Well I am prepared to answer those questions today in this post.



First, Yes we should go after A-Rod. After an atrocious post season where our hitters hit pretty much like my granny with a fungo bat trying to hit a golf ball, I think it would be stupid not to pursue the greatest hitter of baseball all-time.



Next, I highly doubt that the Cubs go after A-Rod but if we are given the money to do it, and Hendry doesn't blow the money on his cupcakes or Marquis clones, then A-Rod will be a Cub in 2008. The bad news is that if he isn't, he won't be. Ten years for a contract should take him to the end of his career. The team that harbors his for 10 years is the team he wears the cap of in his plaque for the hall of fame.



Finally, it is a realistic wager that we do get A-Rod. Don't bet your life on it. Every single team wants him. The teams without money don't have a chance, so that leaves about 10 teams who can realistically get him. We are one of them, as shown by last years shopping spree, if you will. The problem is whether or not the money will be given to us with a post-it note on it that says "Go Crazy!" like last year. If the concern is profits, that will come with the signing of A-Rod. 10 years with him in blue and red will be at least 3 world series. Especially with Lee, Ramirez, Big Z, Lilly, Soriano and a solid bullpen. So, especially since we aren't the Pittsburgh Pirates and we are allowed to spend money from the owners, please take advantage of that right, Jimmy!