Gammons' Latest: Bradley, Griffey, Padilla

Has Gammons gone insane? Fukudome is a left-hand hitting right fielder who hits much in the way a fifth place hitter should hit. While he CAN play center, he doesn't have Ichiro's kind of speed as to convert the the position to seamlessly.

holy crap...If the Rangers would of been able to pull that off for Padilla i would of died of laughter at the New York Mets..lmao

are the rangers insane? i would consider this Zambrano 2.0 except worse haha

I didnt mean to imply it was Gammons' suggestion that the Cubs make such an acquisition. He basically said that Lou Piniella would like to add such a player.

Althou a frontline starter should be their # 1 priority. Adding Griffey would make lots of sense. Fukudome is more then able to cover CF and having another left handed power bat would allow pinella to move him into the 2nd hole. His high OBP and his patience on the plate would be perfect and you would still bring protection for Ramirez with KG hitting behing him.

from what i've heard, lou wants to hit fukodome 2nd and get another LH bat to hit 5th to break up the RH bats. fukodome is more of a #2 than a #5. more OBP (437 so far) than raw power (1 HR so far).

That Padilla thing is completely wild.

All of that for Padilla? Is Daniels on crack??? Counter offer, we'll give you a new baseball bat.

That's funnier than Coco for Headley.

I've come to the conclusion that Jon Daniels is completely insane... Padilla isn't even worth Heilman..

I don't know why Griffey would be a long shot. The Reds are already almost out of it, being 8 back. Also, I think the Reds would be quite willing to give up Griffey and his salary now, in order to try to attempt to extend Dunn before he hits free agency this winter.

The only hold up I would see is Hendry not wanting to trade the kind of young talent it would be required to get Griffey to a team within the division. Even then, I think Hendry would give a very good thought to it if you consider previous moves with the Pirates.

I think this lineup would be absolutely great... possibly the best in the NL... and one ofthe elite in the MLB.

SS Theriot
CF Fukudome
1B Lee
3B ARam
RF Griffey
LF Soriano
C Soto
2B DeRosa

No way would I want the Cubs to pursue Meltdown Bradley. The team has good chemistry and a strong clubhouse presence. The last thing needed is a jackass like Bradley screwing that up.

This is why Gammons believes the Cubs won't get Griffey:

"But Chicago will not pick up Griffey's option for the 2010 season, and Griffey is unlikely to agree to a deal without that option being guaranteed."

How about the fact that Griffey didn't want to play for a team that had Spring Training outside of Florida because he wanted the extra month with his family... ALSO he already stated that the only team he would play for besides Seattle is Cincinnati, when he was originally traded for Cameron and company... He won't approve a trade to anybody but Seattle, in reality he doesn't really want to go anywhere, but returning to Seattle is like going home...

By the way, he echoed those sentiments when he was last in Seattle, so nothings changed except being a 10-5 player that is sentimental and no amount of Lou Pineilla is going to matter... Plus, he's not the type of guy to jump teams within the division and the Cubs really have nothing the Reds need...

greg - Number 5 hitters are not always about raw power. They are about being able to drive the ball into the gap and make the other team pay for laying off the cleanup spot. Further, I think 10 doubles shows that Fukudome is no punch and judy hitter.

As for Griffey and getting traded, I think that he would bite if his option was picked up, especially if traded to a team he thought would have a chance of winning, which the Cubs do.

"The Reds are already almost out of it, being 8 back"

May 5th, 2008. An 8 game deficit is insurmountable.

I wish someone had told that to the '78 Yankees.

Last Year KG made it public that he would welcome a trade to tha Cubs. We know # 5 is not just aboout raw power and Fukudome has proven usefull in that role but having him hit second would be better for the team specially since thay dont have a true leadoff.

That Vicente Padilla thing is astonishing. The Rangers must really have wanted to keep him if that was their asking price. Yeah lets ask for arguably their two best young pitchers and a good young reliever who may be capable of starting at some point. For a mediocre ,hothead back of the rotation starter getting paid #2-3 money for the next couple seasons. I mean c'mon. Wow. After asking for Murton and Ceda for Marlon Byrd. Daniels' thing clearly is asking for the sky, I wonder what Millwood would go for this summer.

As for Griffey, I just don't see that happening. The Cubs would likely prefer a shorter term option. Lou may be able to convince management but the Cubs wouldn't be inclined to send much more than maybe Gallagher and another prospect, so I'm not quite sure Cincy bites. I think Griffey ends up in Seattle if he gets moved, and I'd say it'll be for Rob Johnson and Michael Saunders/Juan Ramirez.

Some other lefties I could see the Cubs being interested in: Hideki Matsui and Andre Ethier. They're both definately long shots because Matsui is hitting great and Ethier probably has a lock on a spot with the Dodgers, but both would be awesome to get. It'd probably cost something nice but they'd both be at least equally as good acquisitions as Griffey.

And one other thing to think about: A super trade for Brian Roberts and Luke Scott with the Orioles. Both of them are lefties, so they both would be huge additions to Chicago's lineup. The Orioles would probably ask for the moon, but let me just see what I can think of: Scott, Roberts for Sean Gallagher, Jose Ceda, Ronny Cedeno, Tyler Colvin, Donald Veal, Matt Murton. The Orioles get 2 top pitching prospects in Gallagher and Ceda, another guy who was a top prospect a year ago and still has good potential in Veal, Murton replaces Scott in left short term before Nolan Reimold can get a shot there, and Cedeno has been great so far with the Cubs so I doubt the O's would mind playing him over Luis Hernandez.

Meanwhile the Cubs get to trot out this lineup:

2B Roberts (L)
CF Fukudome (L)
1B Lee (R)
3B Ramirez (R)
RF Scott (L)
LF Soriano (R)
C Soto (R)
SS Theriot (R)

With DeRosa, Pie and Johnson on the bench. Or Pie in AAA.

That trade would likely never happen though.

Why does everyone think that the Cubs need a center-fielder. Felix Pie is our top prospect! He needs to play. When he plays every day in AAA, he does great. But last year when he was sharing time with Jacque Jones and this year when he is sharing time with Reed Johnson, he has struggled. He is batting 8th and the Cubs don't need great production there. Just give him 600 at-bats and see what you have. Then if Pie is a bust after 600 at-bats, that's when you go out and get a center-fielder. By the way, getting Griffey destroyes our defense because Fukudome will be average in center and Griffey and Soriano are below average in the corners.

Joe, Pinella's not exactly known for trusting rookies if he thinks he's going all the way. Pie could be great, but you're right, unless he gets a chance to prove it the baseball world will never know... which says to me he's going to have to prove himself one AB at a time as a part time player with Reed holding his own. So I think Pie is out of luck soon.

What would it take for the Reds to give up Griffey. It's not like they're desperate to lose him. A couple of good young pitchers? 2 out of Gallagher, Ceda, and Veal?

I wonder how quickly Minaya turned down that laughable offer. I'm not sure I would part with 1 of the 3 for Padilla with that contract. (And don't bother mentioning his ERA right now, with a WHIP that high he'll have a 5 ERA in no time).

“Why does everyone think that the Cubs need a center-fielder. Felix Pie is our top prospect!”

…well, I djust don’t know. Have an idea though; since the rumor comes from “Cubs manager Lou Piniella”, why don’t we ask “Cubs manager Lou Piniella” why “Cubs manager Lou Piniella” wants another CFer…

Tim,

RotoTimes is reporting that Lou has a grudge with Rich Hill, and that’s why he was demoted the other day. If that is the case, then a trade of Hill might be inevitable. Makes you wonder if the team will be shopping for that LH-OFer with Hill as the preferred payment…

the way griffey gets dogged on this site is unbelievable. and the fact that everything is centered around the cubs...

griffey is staying in cincinnati. The reds have no reason to move him. they have had a rough start...but that doesn't mean that griffey is the guy that they move. Reds are not going to move griffey while they still have freel, hatteberg, and dunn in their lineup. griffey isn't moving...he WILL (and you can quote me on that) be in cincinnati next season.

and leadoff hitters aren't always about OBP. that doesn't mean it's not generally considered a power-hitter spot.

and it doesn't mean that fukodome isn't more suited to the #2 spot than the #5. the only reason he's in the #5 right now is because of the L/R split of the lineup. and the gap doubles power is well-suited to the #2 spot as well, especially with high OBP.

more importantly, fukodome is 2nd in MLB in pitches per plate appearance (4.81), which is *very* important in a top third of the order hitter.

"Makes you wonder if the team will be shopping for that LH-OFer with Hill as the preferred payment…"

If the Cubs were going to move Hill, unless they could get someone very good to play right, I would prefer they move Hill for a good starting pitcher or Brian Roberts.

I primarily had two ideas in mind. The Athletics with Joe Blanton and the Blue Jays with A.J. Burnett. The A's with something like a Joe Blanton and Jack Cust for Hill, Colvin, Marshall and Murton or Burnett and Matt Stairs for a similar package. Obviously these teams would need to fall out of contention first though.

And maybe something really wild like Kevin Millwood and Milton Bradley for Hill, Colvin, Gallagher, Murton, and Marshall.

"and leadoff hitters aren't always about OBP."

This is true, on bad teams.

BaseballGuru,

Griffey made it very clear that he would welcome a trade to Atlanta and the Cubs last year. What makes you think he changed his mind??

If the Cubs get rid of Hill, I would think it would be in a Burnett or Blanton type deal...and I would hope for Burnett in that case.

I don't understand the whole Hill situation this year. I mean, yes, he has struggled...but no more than pretty much every other starter they have not named Zambrano or Dempster.

And lastly, Fukudome is probably one of the best candidates in all of baseball to be a #2 hitter. I actually think it would be in the best interest for the team to have the following lineup:

1. Soriano
2. Fukudome
3. Lee
4. Ramirez
5. Soto
6. DeRosa
7. Pie
8. Theriot/Cedeno

Putting the whole Soriano leading off debate aside...

That gets Pie out of the 8 hole, and gets Soto, who is a TRUE 5 hole hitter in his correct place. Look at his major league numbers people! He is one of the best hitters on this team, and its time people stop acting like its a fluke. This guy can hit in the 5 hole of any lineup in baseball right now, and its not an understatement.

Here are his numbers for the year so far...

.352/.448/.667/1.115

Hasn't he done enough to show us at this point, he is pretty much the perfect option for the 5 hole, which could move Fukudome to his perfect fit, the 2 hole?

The fact that during a post game interview during a Fox Sports Northwest post game show following the last trip to Seattle he made as a Red, he said... "I want to retire a Mariner, they have the greatest fans in the game, and I feel I owe them that much. I would listen to other offers, but it would have to make sense for me and my family. I really don't want to do spring training in Arizona unless it's for Seattle, only because I have a history with them, otherwise it's far hard on my family for me to be gone that much longer..." It wasn't verbatim, but those were his words. I think he's tired of losing and he just ran his mouth. He did that a couple times while in Seattle, when he was frustrated, but there was nothing to it. Just Griffey being Griffey, if you watched him for the better part of 2 decades, then you'd know that there are certain things he says and certain things he means... Seattle he meant, Chicago he didn't, maybe Atlanta, but I doubt that too... I have lived in Seattle for every season he was a Mariner, except the first two and the same with living in Ohio for all the seasons he's play for the Reds, except for the first two... You all know how much better the coverage is for the local team and that's why we know our team better than fans elsewhere... It's simple, Griffey's contract for 16MM will NOT be picked up by anybody... Three players got more than 15MM this past offseason and two of those contracts are busts already, only Hunter looks reasonable. Griffey getting that much at 38 or 39 is just about as stupid as Posada getting his deal over the winter! He'll restructure his deal if he's in Cinci or Seattle, but otherwise I'd be surprised!

Why did he mean Seattle, maybe Atlanta, but definitely not Chicago? From what I heard, he really liked the idea.

All this is meaningless because Fukudome isn't moving to Center unless its for a few games. He signed to be the right fielder and is here for almost 4 more years. He isn't moving from that right field corner.

By the way, did anyone else see Pie's catch?? He hits .250 and is VERY valuable to this team. With him in Center field, even with Soriano, they have a terrific defensive outfield.

They have the offensive pieces...they lead the frekin majors in runs!

They need to be worrying about getting a legit #2 starter...like Burnett.

Jacque Jones is available.

Can you guys stop trying to steal Burnett in the middle of the season? It just isn't going to happen, the Jays pitching is too good for them to ever fall out of the race and into complete sell mode. They have the best rotation in baseball.

Can you guys stop trying to steal Burnett in the middle of the season? It just isn't going to happen, the Jays pitching is too good for them to ever fall out of the race and into complete sell mode. They have the best rotation in baseball.

Posted by: 92-93 | May 06, 2008 at 12:51 AM

And with all that pitching, that is why Brian Sabean made the best move in the offseason for the Jays in not accepting Rios for Lincecum. Oh, with Lincecum the staff would have been unreal, but without rios, the Jays offense would have been unbearable.

The Jays would be crazy not to trade Burnett.

They will not be competing for a playoff spot in 08. If Burnett has a great year he walks anyway. If he has a crappy year the Jays are stuck with his $11m contract.

Aduncaroo, BECAUSE the CUBS go to ARIZONA during SPRING TRAINING and GRIFFEY LIVES in ORLANDO!! GOT IT?! Pretty simple... I said three times... Atlanta does Spring Training in FL and it would be possible for him to come home on off days!

Sorry, I forgot it was a seperate post a couple before that I meantioned the Spring Training deal... My bad for assuming you were reading more than the current post... I've been known to do that too... But it still stands that he wouldn't go to AZ for ST without his team being from Seattle... We were there for his first ten years and we showed a lot of love for him when he was here... Standing ovations for ALL of his at bats through the series, and everytime the announcer said his name... He wants to reciprocate the love!

Griffey doesn't really help the Cubs, what they need is a lefty or switch hitter who plays a middle infield spot and can hit with pop...

I think the one everyone is missing is Carlos Guillen... I mean they have Inge with no home in the lineup and Guillen would be better served to return to 2B and he hits like Brian Roberts, but has more power... If the Tigers don't turn it around soon, Carlos may get traded to put Inge back at 3B. I think that would be great for Chicago and they could trade Rich Hill for him straight up...

As for SS, Theriot is okay, but I think Roberts would be a spark plug and he has clearly enough range and arm to play SS, there could be a good swap there and it allows Luis Hernandez to move to 2B where I think he's more suited to play.

Obviously it would take more than Theriot, but it's a start!

"They will not be competing for a playoff spot in 08."

And you know this how? What happened to the old adage of "pitching and defense wins championships"...last year the Fielding Bible ranked the Jays the #1D and this year they are #2 in MLB in RA/G (run prevention). With Rolen back and Thomas out of the lineup things are bound to get rolling with the offense - it's not as bad as it looked in April. They just couldn't get the right hit at the right time ; their 12th out of 32 in OBP shows their hitters aint all that bad.

With Theriot and Cedeno hitting the way they are, we have no reason in the WORLD to trade for Brian Roberts. We would lose the likes of Gallagher, Cedeno, and probably two other really good prospects for a guy that isn't much more than we already have...at least not yet. Again, we have the #1 offense in the majors as far as runs scored...there is no way in hell you mess with that.

Pitching is the name of the game people. I'm not saying that the Jays should or would trade Burnett...But if they are out of the running, you would think that the Cubs would have more than enough to give up for him. Just depends on what Hendry would be willing to let go...

Anyway...like I said, right now, there is no reason to trade him. But at the deadline, that could be a different story.

Oh, and Rolen will be hurt again, like he always is...don't count on him being healthy, its just not worth it.

loooooooooololol...

brian roberts at SS?

it's amusing that people think MI are automatically interchangeable.

bsox is right...and I think we need to stop talking about changing the best offense in the NL.

If the Cubs are in win now mode, they can no longer count on Hill. It pains me to say that, because I am still very high on Hill. I also wish they would give Gallagher his starts instead of Marshall because Gallagher looks ready. His last start in AAA he went 7 innings and struck out 12. Give this guy a shot...you already have him on your roster.

Wow, there's so much material in here. Oh yeah, Cubs post, that's right.

"Daniels' thing clearly is asking for the sky, I wonder what Millwood would go for this summer" by scribbletone

If Daniels keeps it up, Millwood will go absolutely nowhere. Word is he wants talent back, not just to lose the salary, so I'm guessing he's actually asking GMs for both. If he doesn't manage to get some young players into the system this year, he loses all benefit of the doubt with me, and their rebuilding effort is completely handicapped. I'm guessing no big deals, Washington gets axed as the scapegoat, and Daniels gets away with shoddy work for another 3-4 years before ownership comes to their senses and fires him, by which time it'll be another 3-4 years before Texas has any hope of competing.

Rich Hill for Hideki Matsui could work. Just to get the MLBTR juices flowing, let's say the Cubs throw in Matt Murton as well. The Yankees are desperate for arms at this point and overloaded at DH.

The Blue Jays aren't trading Burnett this season, guaranteed. Ricciardi's MO is to overpay a bunch of above average guys, surround them with a weak or nonexistent bottom half of the roster, and pretend to compete every year. This year will be no different. They'll be arm's length from contention for almost the entire year, never actually have any real shot of getting anywhere, and finish 6 games out in the wildcard and 11 games out in the East.

BaseballGuru is right about Griffey. That guy knows Junior's personal feelings inside and out. You can tell because he made 4 comments in a row and used all caps on some of his words. On the other hand, Carlos Guillen can't play second, doesn't hit anything like Brian Roberts, Inge is fine where he is, and Roberts can't play SS.

i agree, bsox is right.

the key word in his comment is "failed." there's a reason most of them are playing 2B now and not SS.

The Rays will finish third in the AL East this year ahead of Baltimore and Toronto. The Rays are better than both those teams this year and are for real. Of course, this is all provided that they can avoid serious injuries.

""They will not be competing for a playoff spot in 08."

How can you write off the Blue Jays this early in the season. The rotation has been great with Halladay, McGowan and Marcum all pitching very well. Burnett has the highest ERA in that rotation right now, and Accardo should come around and pitch better. If Vernon Wells can get it going then this team is easily capable of competing for the division and even winning it. The Red Sox are on shaky ground with the two young starters, although they're both pitching great, and obviously the Yankees are having their troubles in the rotation and some struggles on offense. I don't see how a team with a rotation that good could possibly be out of contention by July. To be fair.

Personally I hope but doubt that the Cubs land a good starter this summer. There are guys like Millwood, Burnett and Blanton, but odds are that only Millwood would be available and it'd likely cost something like Rich Hill, Tyler Colvin, and Sean Marshall. If the A's slow down I could see the Cubs going after Blanton but Beane would probably want Felix Pie. The Cubs could counter with something like either Rich Hill and Tyler Colvin, or maybe Colvin, Gallagher, Murton and Marshall.

I think Kazmir and Shields is a better 1-2 than Halladay and Burnett. A.J. is inconsistent and seems to have trouble stringing together a couple of good starts without stringing a couple bad ones together right after that. He is inconsistent and I doubt his ability to stay healthy for a full season. I do like McGowan, but it seems injuries come up a lot in Toronto. Chacin was a victim of the YAE and technically, McGowan is at risk for that this year. He pitched 191.2 innings total last year which is a lot more than his previous high. McGowan is very talented, but I worry about injuries with both him and Burnett.

I just think the Rays are better this year. Toronto always seems to find a way to finish third especially since Baltimore and Tampa Bay haven't been good for a long time if ever. Now, the Rays have caught up and I think they emerge as a force in the AL East this year. If the Yankees don't fix their pitching, we may see a very different finish in this division in 2008. It's going to be fun to watch.

Um. Listen. Griffey does not go to random teams just to win rings. He will be traded by July to Seattle or wait until after the season is over. He will be going to only Seattle and will probably play another 2 or 3 years. Got it?

Thanks TAJ, I'm glad that you not only know Griffey's inner thoughts, but also the Walt Jocketty's, and before they even are thought! Amazing...

“BaseballGuru is right about Griffey. That guy knows Junior's personal feelings inside and out. You can tell because he made 4 comments in a row and used all caps on some of his words. On the other hand, Carlos Guillen can't play second, doesn't hit anything like Brian Roberts, Inge is fine where he is, and Roberts can't play SS.”

…Hahaha!!! Now that’s classic…