Cubs Offering Murton For Relief Help

According to John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus:

"The Chicago Cubs desperately need bullpen help, and reportedly would part with outfielder Matt Murton in the right deal."

For a team built to win now, that might make sense.  Sure, you'd rather see the more expensive Jacque Jones go, but teams would of course rather acquire the younger, cheaper Murton.  Murton, 25, only has 87 ABs this year.  Cubs fans hoped to see him get a full-time look following a solid .297/.365/.444 season, but Lou Piniella hasn't complied.

What kind of deals might work here?  To the Nationals for Jon Rauch or Chad Cordero?  To the White Sox for Mike MacDougal?  That'd be a tasty crosstown deal.  Is he enough to bring in Scott Linebrink, Eric Gagne, or Akinori Otsuka?  I have a hard time pinning down Murton's market value because I'm a Cubs fan.  He seems a touch more than a tweener, perhaps a guy who can become a healthy version of a late-20s Rondell White.

The Cubs got White from the Expos at the 2000 trading deadline for Scott Downs.  Downs was a 21 year-old southpaw coming off a 1.35 ERA and 11.36 K/9 in Double A the year before.

Comments

[Aduncaroo]

Its a sad day...

I love Murton. He is one of the few good OBP the cubs have. I think that trading for bullpen help is overrated. It seems like its a crap shoot to get a guy to have a solid year in the bullpen...except the top 10% of relievers. (See LaTroy Hawkins)

Is that crapshoot worth giving up Murton if you aren't getting a guy in that top 10%? I'd have trouble believing that...

[jfish26101]

How about to the Pirates for Torres? Nady is a FA after this year and they have Doumit to back up 1B. Perhpas they could then move Nady for a spec.

[registereduser]

Yes, you are indeed a cubs fan.

Of all the names mentioned only MacDougal or Torres makes sense to me.

[jfish26101]

Also I don't see the Nats doing that. I look at Murton a lot like Church and they don't seem to like Church much. I find it funny actually they they seem to like a guy like Willy Mo more then Church but that is a different matter. Rauch could work I guess but I have to think they can get more out of Cordero.

[xxxJamesxxx]

K-Rod or Joe Nathan seem like good value.

[Teetz]

I liked Murton, but you can't say he didn't have his chances. At this point of his career, he's just not better than Cliff Floyd. He needed to have a good start to the season.

How about to Oakland for Kiki Calero? Oakland would appreciate Murton's approach.

[integr96]

I would hate to see murton get traded but i could see a bright spot. is it worth the risk of sending murton and pie to washington for cordero and then making a run at ichiro to play center next year?

[Teetz]

Pie is way too much for Cordero

[Aduncaroo]

Pie and Murton for Cordero????

He better be perfect in save opportunities for three straight years for that bounty. That is ludicrous!

[boomshwa12]

what about pie straight up for otsuka in texas? i would favor otsuka of the two, and the rangers could use a young centerfielder

[Aduncaroo]

the cubs are not going to trade Pie for bullpen help!!!

If they do, I quit life

[m3th0ds]

The Nats wouldn't move Cordero for only Murton, and Pie isn't all that many of you are making him out to be. He has all the tools, but that doesn't mean he puts them to use...

I agree that Murton for Solomon Torres sounds like the most reasonable exchange, especially knowing hom much Jim Hendry likes to deal with the Pirates.

[bravesbeast]

I completely agree, it never makes sense to trade your best prospect for bullpen help. I am sure that the cubs could trade some of their young starters in double AA or lower for a closer, such as al reyes.

[Blutarski]

Murton would be PERFECT for the White Sox !

I'd drive any reliever not named Jenks crosstown for him in a heartbeat.

[ptk420biatch]

M3th0ds pie isnt all that many are making him out to be? Oh yeah he is only batting .412 with 35 hits in 85 AB's in AAA. That isnt very much value there if you ask me.

[trogger80]

Why would the Cubs trade an above average corner OF at a below average price for 70 innings of relief help? Who's going to start in RF when Cliff Floyd gets hurt? Angel Pagan? Just cut your losses, and dump Eyre, Howry, and Miller already. They all have dead arms at this point. Guzman, Wuertz, Cherry, Ohman, and Marmol are all pitching well already out of the bullpen.

[skinner]

Does anybody actually watch Matt Murton play baseball?

The Undisputed KING of the weakass groundball.

If Matt Murton is above average than everybody is above average.

[ptk420biatch]

What is wrong with angel pagan? He has been hitting everything lately.

[skinner]

Does anybody actually watch Matt Murton play baseball?

The Undisputed KING of the weakass groundball.

If Matt Murton is above average then everybody is above average.

[ErroRod1985]

300 million dollars doesn't even buy you a playoff contender. Why trade Murton? The last couple years, I'd read the box scores and to me, besides lee and ramirez, he was their most consistent player. I wish I could say that I could see the curse being reversed in the next few years, but I don't even think God could help that rotation and bullpen. At least theirs entertainment with Pinella snapping every other day.

[ptk420biatch]

Our bullpen sucks, but how can you say our rotation sucks?

[Teetz]

The Cubs will eventually be fine and will be in the thick of the NL Central race.

At this point, Murton is not above average outfielder. Maybe right around league average for a LF and below average for a RF. Cubs are hoping for him to become above average eventually. He's had some shots, not enough to make solid evaluations as to what type of player he's going to be, but on the same note, he didn't prove to be better than Jacque Jones and Cliff Floyd...which isn't hard to do. I don't see where this team will be able to find a spot for him with Floyd and Pagan playing better than him.

[DentalPlan]

Trading Murton for relief help won't help the Cubs, every good reliever who comes to them seems to implode. Hawkins, Remlinger, now Howry, Eyre, Cotts, etc. Their starting pitcher is falling apart as Zambrano is still not up to par, Hill and Marquis are regressing fast, and they're 5th starter is who, Marshall? Ugh. Not looking good over there, if only all they needed was a reliever.

[ptk420biatch]

Yeah Marquis is regressing fast, horrible being 5-1 with a 2.76 ERA.

[DentalPlan]

Yeah, his last few starts have not been good, get back to me in another few starts. I'm sure his career up to this point was a mirage and he's now suddenly a great pitcher. Brilliant.

But heck, why don't we call out the "loaded" offense that can't seem to score much too if you don't like the attack on the pitching?

[Aduncaroo]

The offense is having its problems for sure...but I think that they will come around. They are all too good of hitters for this to hold up. The cubs have the best run differential in the Central...which means that they should be winning it. But they are 2-10 in one run games. Some of that is because of bullpen problems, and a lot of it is just plain ol bad luck. It is not, however, because of the starting pitching, I hate to break it to you.

[gilligan1969]

Ok, some people are missing some points here:
The offense is ok. They can put up runs in a hurry. There have been about 5-7x's I can think of they haven't done anything. How many blown saves are there? Exactly my point! If you add 1/2 of the blown saves as W's then they are contenders. Get a solid set up man and someone to close consistently then add the other half and they are in 1st. Dump Eyre, Howry, Cotts, Dempster (Not likely with his option to start(ouch) and new contract, get 2-3 (lefties and righties)solid middle relief guys and there you have it!
As far as Murton goes: He led the Cubs in avg last year= .297. He's probably gone cause he's not a lefty and doesn't switch hit. They have a lot of options to deal others though and that is a bright spot.

[GH]

No team is interested in giving up bullpen arms at this point in the season. I don't understand why they just don't pick from the AAA bullpen-they can't be any worse.