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.

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

Pitching Ends 7 game win streak

June 30th, 2007

Cubs; FOX; vs. Brewers; 10-2, bottom 6; Rocky Cherry vs. Ben Sheets

Well, not yet, but we're down by 8 in the 6th. That's not the worst thing. Sean Marshall gave up 7, 6 earned, over 2 innings. That's worse than Rich Hill yesterday. That leads me to my next point. You know why we've had a 7 game win streak? Both our pitching and hitting picked eachother up. If we pitched bad, we came back, if we pitched good, we scored enough to win.

Now, we have to ride our hitting further than ever. Our pitching is going. These are the stats of our last 4 starts. Lilly, 6 innings, 4 earned. Zambrano, 6 innings, 2 earned. Hill, 5 earned, 3 innings. Today, Marshall, 2 innings 6 earned. Where has this pitching gone? Unbelievable. Our pitching was so good earlier this year when we couldn't score. Now our pitching is so bad when we can't not score.

The Cubs just added 2, 10-4. Going to the top 7th. Another thing I want to say is that Scott Eyre is in a deep funk. Today, when we called up Cherry, we sent down Petrick. Billy Petrick is a rookie who has had an OK stint with the Cubs. Let me tell you this though; his ERA wasn't 7. That is what Scott Eyre's ERA is after today 2 inning appearance, yielding 2 earned.

Scott was good last year, Lou, get over it. Don't look at last year's stats, look at this year's. They don't even compare. Last year: 3.38 ERA, 2nd in relief appearances. This year: 3rd in relief appearances, 7.00 ERA. That is what I'd say to Lou, or Rothschild, or whoever sends down chubby, sucky relief pitchers.

So, to make my point all the clearer, The Cubs need to pull their heads out of their arses and find a way to pitch and hit good at the same time. That is the only possible way the Cubs have of contending. Craig Counsell homered, 11-4. Top 7 still.

Now, let me bring attention to another thing that could setback the Cubs 1,000 years. Zambrano motioned to reporters for them to look at a pair of red catchers shingaurds. He then told the reporters it was a gift for his next catcher, Yadier, refering to cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. I have a few theories on this.

First of all, the Cubs starting catchers, Rob Bowen and Koyie Hill, are both hitting under .200, and this could mean that Hendry is shopping for a catcher, and Yadier is his target. This doesn't seem too unlikey to me, as Yadier is a good defensive catcher, which we could use in the post Barrett era.

Another theory is that Zambrano is angry he hasn't been given a contract extension yet so he is trying to get under the Cubs' skin out of anger. This is also possible, as Zambrano does have a fiery temper.

My third theory is that he has been talking to the Cardinals about signing a contract with them at years end, or is being traded there at the trade deadline. This is reasonable for Hendry to do because: a) it saves 12 million, and b) SI said the Cubs could contend with out him. This wouldn't fit for the Cardinals though, because then they'd have 2 aces in a 1 ace rotation.

My last theory is this. The All-Star game. Yadier is making it as a backkup catcher. Zambrano should make it as a starter. He said he was available for the ASG. This is another theory because everyone plays in the ASG except reserves. Yadier is a backup, Zambrano most likely won't start, so there you go, my 4 theories.

Thanks,

Ryan

Vacation

June 22nd, 2007

Cubs; WGN 9; 4:05 PM ET; vs. Chicago White Sox

Last Night: Loss; Texas Rangers 6-5;

2-4 in last 2 series vs. Padres and Rangers

Well, I flew in from Atlanta yesterday, ending a vacation that took me to the U.S. Virgin Islands. As relaxing as it was, no Cubs. They had a TV in the lunch shack that was always on ESPNews, and I got a paper every morning, so I always knew the Cubs record, but I felt a void in me, not knowing how we lost or why. Now I'm home though, tired as heck, and ready to watch a Cubs game for the first time in a long time.

Now back to the Cubs. Zambrano vs. Buehrle. Now, if you look at this season as a whole, I'd bet on another Cubs loss. However, Zamby is hot! Look at his ERA; it's dropping quicker than you might expect after 13 decisions. Also, he's coming off of a 1-0 complete game loss. The complete game looks good; the shutout scares the crap outta me. This offense is streakier than (your choice of something streaky).

In good news though, Ken Griffey Jr. said that if he was traded he would like to be traded to the Cubs. It strikes me that we could trade a man named Jacque for him, and start him with a back up of Floyd, who has been platooning for the most part this year anyhow. Comments or other rumours or something; leave em

Thanks,

Ryan