Cubs May Have Use For Murton After All

I'm a Cubs fan, but I'm completely sick of hearing about Murton. I even like Murton, but the delusional people who think he's worth a grade A prospect are annoying. Now we're going to hear every time he gets an AB that he just hurt/helped his trade value.

*Mr. Gaines*

So, like me, do you think its crazy to think that the Rays might send Edwin Jackson to the Cubs for Murton?

In addition to the interest in Murton by the Padres, the Rangers, Rays and A's have also had scouts following him in recent days at Iowa. Look for those scouts at Wrigley tomorrow when Murton will start in LF.

I don't even want to trade Murton, unless he brings a solution to a need. (leadoff hitter, CFer, SS, or A pitching prospect. He has a high OBP and does not strike out. Exactly what the Cubs are ALWAYS short of. Adam Dunn is a worse fielder. I'm telling you Murton could be Adam Dunn, without the strikeouts. OK a few less HR's but lots of doubles, 50 points higher BA and a high OBP. Soriano will always be down from time-to-time.

I think most fans tend to look at trades from their team's own perspective. But from the Cubs perspective, there is no point in trading Murton unless you can get someone that the Cubs will actually use. Is someone like Jason Hammel actually going to break into the Cubs rotation? Does he move ahead of Lieber as the "6th starter"? Or Sean Marshall as the 7th starter? Is he even an option before Sean Gallagher in AAA? Yes, maybe Hendry's asking a lot in return but a lot of teams are asking for a guy who will start for their spare parts. Hammel isn't going to start for a contender like the Cubs nor is someone like Andy Sonnastine. Why take the inexperienced versions of Dempster and Marquis? Money isn't an issue for the Cubs. Furthermore, do these guys aid in middle relief? The Cubs have plenty of those guys, both on the current roster and in the minors. The only thing Tampa can offer that would be worth anything to the Cubs is an arm that adds depth to the farm that could actually crack their rotation in the near future. Otherwise, the Cubs are trading Murton just to get rid of him. What does someone like Hammel offer the Cubs that they don't already have? Murton holds more value to the Cubs as an emergency starter in the OF.

Well that’s thinking in a microscopic box with that one... And what exactly does Murton offer the Cubs ~ nothing more than a “if Soriano/Fukudome gets hurt” option, right? He can be a good emergency stop-gap for them, little more; and is out of options after the year. Next year do you just keep him around on the bench, next to never getting ABs once again? Soriano isnt going anywhere, nor is Fukudome. Lee is entrenched at 1B, so no playing time there. If the team is able to displace DeRosa at 2B, making him super-sub again, then he’s your #1 corner OFer replacement. So does Murton even make the roster? But he would have to since he will be out of options… He would be destined to be a waiver case, or at best a handful of games guy in Chicago, if not traded. Then since other teams have so many similar guys inhouse already, just like the Cubs learned this offseason, well...

A pitcher though? Well, Marquis was almost gone already, Dempster and Lieber are not around next year, and its not looking as though it’s a guarantee that Hill or Lilly will be secure in next years rotation. They probably will still be around, but if the early struggles continue…

…I don’t see how a SP would be a bad thing at all over a 4th-5th OFer who, at best, will get only minimal ABs for the next 3 years. The Cubs could use the pitching; a corner-type though? I mean, he can only make the roster by one of Soriano/Fukudome being on the DL right now ~ otherwise its pretty much impossible to even get him on the 25M…

Sonnanstine is every bit as good as our "top" pitching prospect Gallager, you know, the one nobody wanted to trade to Baltimore for Brian Roberts. Look up the MiLB numbers. And saying that if his control isn't on, then he's very hittable is like saying that if Cole Hamel's change isn't working, he's toast. Of course if a pitcher's stuff isn't going right, they're going to be hittable, that holds true for every pitcher out there. Tell the "finesse" pitcher argument to all the finesse pitchers in MLB that have had huge success over the year. Sonnanstine should start for the Cubs this year if they got him. He is a better pitcher than Marquis/Demp (who's getting lucky) & with the way Lilly's going, Andy would surpass him as well.

I'm not even sure if Murt would start for the Rays. he's a liability in RF, and with Crawford occupying LF, I don't see the need for Murt. The Rays have a bunch of crappy fielding, decent hitting players to man RF (Gomes, Hinske's better, Ruggiano). Murton would not be a full time player on the Rays this year or at any time. I can gaurantee that Sonnanstine would be starting for the Cubs by next year if not this one.

Oh...minor league numbers. That's why Sonnastine is so great? I don't know where you get your information but Sonnastine was never anywere near the prospect Gallagher is. The stuff doesn't compare. Sonnastine is more the Kirk Sarloos type. And Hinske? Are you serious? Look up these guys numbers at the end of the year, then get back to me. This is pointless.

At the same time, I can understand why San Diego wouldn't give us say... a Wade LeBlanc type, but without such a player, there's little incentive for the Cubs to pull the trigger right now. The Cubs are going to have a real tough time dealing Murton.

I agree, Airman. The best thing the Cubs can do is get an A to AA ball prospect with a respectable ceiling. The Cubs just don't have much room for Major league ready, low ceiling guys right now. They could barely squeeze their own Sean Marshall onto the staff.

Gallagher was taken in the 12th round of the 2004 draft, Andy was taken in the 13th round. How does that make Gallagher a much better prospect? Great prospects are taken in the 12th round, & they aren't much better than the guys in the 13th round. Their K/9 & ERA are pretty much even. The only major difference is that Andy's K/BB is about 5:1 while Gallagher is more like 2:1. Since neither were heralded prospects from the get go, all we can do is go off their MiLB numbers, which Andy's are better. The strike out the same number of guys & Andy walks a whole lot less.

Saarloos is a failed prospect, but he went in the 3rd round of a draft. So since he was a more heralded prospect than Gallagher, that makes him better than Gallagher, right? Also Saarloos command never translated to MLB, while Andy's already has. They're not comparable.

Tampa's system is so loaded that people think Sonnanstine, Howell & Jackson are chopped liver. These guys are top prospects/young pitchers on most teams. With 3 top 10 MiLB pitchers in the minors (Price, McGee, & Davis) to go with guys like Niemann & Hellickson, the system is loaded. Fact is that the Rays have these 8 pitchers, who are as good or much better (Price, McGee & Davis) than Gallagher to go along with the young hurlers Kazmir, Garza, & Shields. So just because Sonny's probably the 7th or 8th ranked pitcher in terms of stuff in the Rays system doesn't mean he's not as good as Gallagher, it just means they don't get the play that Gallagher gets since Gallagher is all we really have & we're a much bigger market.

Your baseball knowlege is lacking. Gallagher was taken in the 12th round over signability issues. Everyone assumed he was going to play college ball, but of course they were wrong. He also has improved his fastball since he was drafted from the high 80's to the 91-93 range. And his prospect rating has jumped accordingly for those who actually scout games...i.e. Baseball America. And Gallagher is a top 100 prospect in their rankings.

And yes... Sonnanstine is chopped liver. Here's BP's analysis of Sonnastine... "He knows he's going to get hit because he just doesn't have the stuff to miss bats..." He's nowhere on the radar in BA's top 100 for any year he's played. Where does he rank, praytell? And yeah, the Rays system gets no pub...gimme a break!

I also don't believe you're a Cub fan...partially because you know so little about Gallagher. But I'm also confused because you know even less about Sonnanstine.

I just disagree with your argument. Sonnanstine is a dime a dozen fifth starter type with pedestrian stuff with good minor league numbers. Every organization has them. Most of them don't make it. Maybe he'll beat the odds... but I wouldn't bet on it.

And how is calling you out on pretending to be a Cub fan an ad hominem? It's obvious you aren't. And it lessens whatever credibility you have.