Burnett Wouldn't Mind Playing For Cubs

I say pull the plug on the deal, if they are given the chance, and the price is right. Burnett has so much upside, and having Zambrano-Burnett and Lilly as a 1-2-3 for could be very nice.

"I'm really not sure how the Cubs would be a fit."

Your right, they are not a fit for the jays. Jays need bats, big bats, meaning guys who can hit 3,4 and 5. Their biggest problem this year has been the middle of the lineup and leaving guys on base. Sorry, Cedeno, Patterson, Colvin ( i.e. bottom of the order guys) arent what the Jays are looking for.

Well no you wouldn't give up Vitters, Unless you can extend Burnett or some how make the deal contingent on him not opting out of his contract.

You know we also said the same thing about Ted Lilly in Toronto. I'm sure your pretty glad to have him now as well.

We have no need for Murton.

Wilkerson/Stewart/Lind/Snider/Inglett etc

jays could use a shortstop of the future. burnett and eckstein for cedeno and b prospect?

I could definately see the Jays target Cedeno. Honestly I think he's going to end up having some very good years down the line for some team. If the Cubs offered say, Cedeno, Donnie Veal, and another prospect or two, I think Toronto would have to listen. The way Burnett is pitching, and with his past history, I dont quite feel like there will be any overwhelming offers for him.

I did forget about Hill...In the end, I think Cedeno and a young pitcher makes sense as long as that pitcher isn't Sean Gallagher. Scribbletone, I think Veal is an inspired choice. In some ways he's the lefty version of AJ Burnett...great arm and a nasty secondary pitch but issues with command and consistency. The Cubs can't really afford to wait for Veal when they have a chance to win right now. I could live with Veal and Cedeno and I think that gives Toronto one certain major league starter and a pitcher with a good ceiling for the near future. That's a deal that works for both sides.

Is it just me or does every Cub trade rumor follow up with the suggestion of trading one of Patterson or Cedeno?

Why does it seem every Cubs fan wants to get rid of these two guys if they're supposedly quality?

I would like to wait to see what happens with Sabathia before we commit to Burnett. There is a slim chance we could make a deal for CC but there is still a chance. Burnett would be my second choice.

Any team who gives up more than Cedeno and Veal for Burnett will be overpaying. If another team is willing to offer more than that, then the Cubs should let them do it. Like I said, Burnett, when all is said and done, isn't such a great pitcher. Any team that acquires him isn't doing it because of his performance, it's because they're trying to catch lightning in a bottle.
And Cedeno wouldn't be a spare part on Toronto...or Boston for that matter. Of course AL East fans tend to think their players and teams are better than they are because of the media focus in that area.

uww, Sabathia would be far superior to Burnett but you're right, the chances of getting him are very slim. I'm sure they'll put out a feeler or two. Besides being a far better pitcher than Burnett, he's also the innings eater the Cubs need to save their bullpen for the stretch run. I don't think it will happen...but can you imagine if it did??

Honestly I think it'd be just as likely that Sabathia is available as Burnett. And don't write off Rich Harden as well.

If the Cubs really want to add a stud starter, they have a decent amount of potential options.

And crunchy is completely right, if the Blue Jays want any more than Cedeno, Veal and a low level guy, then its just not worth it. Cedeno is a legitimate SS whose performance is finally starting to catch up to his abilities. If he were 23 instead of 25 then I think a lot more people would be getting excited about him. And Veal is a legitimate good pitching prospect, a high risk/high reward guy who could end up being just as good as Burnett if not better.

People are on here saying that the odds are that someone would offer more than that, which is likely true. But honestly, how much more than that? The Jays would be getting a long term SS (something they really need) as well as a good pitching prospect. I seriously doubt that anyone is going to want to offer multiple top prospects for a guy who has had issues with durability as well as his attitude in the past. Especially when has an ERA of 4.90 and a WHIP at 1.51.

Does anyone here legitimately think that a Sean Gallagher, Tyler Colvin, Ronny Cedeno, Josh Vitters package would net them Sabathia?

With a new owner (read: new Sheriff) coming to town, this is probably Hendry's last stand. He also loves doing the big mid-season trade (Aramis, Nomar, etc). Add that to the 100-year magic, and I think it's a pretty bet that he will go after Sabathia and/or Burnett.

I have been saying all along that the Cubs have to overcome so much pressure to win a WS that they will need not just a good team, but an overwhelmingly incredible team -- and that means 4 or 5 studs in the rotation. So far so good with Z, Lilly, and Dempster -- but Marquis and AAA-project-of-the-moment aren't going to cut it.

Darkstar, Cleveland would rather take the 2 first rounders? You might but I don't think Shapiro would. The odds are overwhelming that they'll only get one decent major leaguer...at best. The odds that they get anyone near the caliber of Sabathia are almost negligible. I think Shapiro's too good a GM to settle for a longshot like draftpicks in the 15-45 range. He'd probably settle for a group of good young talented players.

And Vegasvic, teams win WS all the time with lesser rotations than the Cubs have right now (see the 2005 Cards for starters)...but I'd still like to see the Cubs add an arm. I'm pretty sure that they will before the trade deadline.

"Darkstar, Cleveland would rather take the 2 first rounders? You might but I don't think Shapiro would."

...He has said, in the last week, that he would have to be blown away to actually trade Sabathia instead of taking the picks. So yeah, its extremely likely they would take the DPs instead of said package...

(man, is Type-key acting up again or is it just me? It seems its once again getting to the point of being like pulling teeth trying to post…)

That statement is probably just gamesmanship. He certainly isn't going to say, "I'll take the first decent deal that comes along." He's trying to get the best deal he can. IF he really does want 2 picks in the 15-45 range for Sabathia, then he isn't as good a GM as I thought. That exchange is almost a near certainty to be a big loss on the side of the Indians.

how come crunchy all the "real" baseball guys think Burnett is a Top of the line guy?..Rosenthal thinks he is..Gammons thinks he is..and dont give me that crap about ESPN all about the east coast teams...ex: Jays,Redsox,Yanks...

6-6, 4.90 ERA? 42 walks in 86 innings? Averaging 130 innings since 2003? 75-72 career record? That's a top of the line guy? He's a guy with great stuff and mediocre results. It's not the same thing. Sabathia is a top of the line guy despite a tough start. Burnett is a guy with top of the line STUFF and the results of a #4 starter.

And it isn't crap, ESPN is definitely biased...Gammons most of all when it comes to the AL East and his beloved Red Sox.

You know Crunchy you are right, a guy that has had a sub-4 era the last 4 years isn't that good of a pitcher. Seriously, he has only given up 4 or more earned runs in 4 out of 15 starts. Hell Big Z has allowed 4 or more earned runs in 3 out of 15. But like any other stat that is a twist, Z man have some bad outings but is good most of the others, an the other hand burnett allows some 2/3 earned run games without many shutouts. The point is he is just as likely to have a bad game as any other top of the line starter.

Look everyone goes up and down during the course of the year, but at that price you would be saling low on Burnett, especial if they get two draft picks for him.

Not to mention the Cubs also have guys like Marshall, Murton, Ceda, Patterson, and Thomas to use if they would like. Hendry might not have a bunch of blue chip guys, but he does have a good number of guys that are pretty valuable to a lot of teams.

The “blown away” statement will hold true, because there is always the possibility CC never leaves anyway (yes, its true ~ despite what people who want him to change uniforms for one reason or another say). Unless a package is easily better than 2 first rounders, then a deal wont get done. And yeah, you can get some mighty fine DPs towards the end of the 1st round ~ guys that fall because teams don’t want to meet their demands, strange character concerns exist, etc. What also is available in the last of the first round and early 2nd round is all the great near-ready college BP arms, something Cleveland would also much rather have than projectable prospects years away or guys with limited ceilings. Cleveland will get a package of a stud SP, near ML ready slugger and some change, or they will hold onto him, try to resign him and in a worse case take the picks. Chicago just cant offer that kind of package, the only thing they can really do is provide guys which match Clevelands inhouse depth or don’t fit their gameplan.

And where a guy like Gallagher is a perfectly fine looking prospect, he isnt that special and instead would just be one of the many 3-5 types the Indians are currently developing. When Cleveland makes a trade, they don’t generally look for projects ~ and most of the players the Cubs could include would be just that. The current Chicago philosophy of targeting projectable guys with lots of work to do goes against what the Tribe would be interested in. The likelihood is slim, and with the DPs atleast Cleveland knows they would always be able to draft those near-ready impact arms which could be used in the pen ~ something the Tribe could actually use within their window. The DPs will look mighty fine to Shapiro if a package doesnt blow him away, and the Cubs especially will have a near impossible mountain to overcome if they were to land the big man…

You'd be surprised. Hill's problems aren't mechanical, it's mental. He's a complete headcase. There's no telling if he'll ever get it back together.
And darkstar, you're greatly overvaluing the 2 draft picks in comparison to a package of 3-5 top prospects/young MLB players.
The odds are against any draft pick making it to the majors, and Gallagher for example has already shown that he can get it done at this level, and should be a solid #3-#5 for a long time. He's already done something that's tough for young players to do, and that's impress the hell out Lou Piniella and gain his trust so quickly.
Last year I was very unimpressed with him, but he's worked his behind off, most notably losing 30-40 lbs, and he's already looked incredibly better. His slider's improving too, and if he can get that to be an effective pitch to go with his 91-96 mph fastball and terrific curve, you're getting a solid pitcher.
I don't know, if I'm an Indians fan, I want to get as much starting pitching depth as possible with the loss of CC, and Westbrook's status up in the air for the future.

He's not thinking draft picks.

Agree with the last few comments. If Shapiro holds onto Sabathia, it will be because he thinks they can win this year, and/or he thinks there's still hope of re-signing him.

The draft picks are not going to be a deciding factor.

Ya think Bowden would like a do-over on not trading Soriano? Those picks became Josh Smoker and Jordan Zimmerman -- two OK, grade-B prospects both a long way from MLB.

...or 2 times in a future playoff series against the Yankees or Red Sox.

I have an interesting scenario here...

What if the Cubs got Fuentes from the Rockies, then traded Howry in the Sabathia trade so that Cleveland got thier 2 picks ALONG with whatever else was in the trade??

So the Cubs give up something like Gallagher, Colvin, Howry, and Cedeno (sub veal, Ceda, or anyone else), and the Indians gave up CC. This way, the Indians get a return PLUS thier draft picks, and the Cubs get their man. I know that most will say that Cubs don't want to give up Howry, and thats probably true, but if they could get another set up closer type that is a lefty, to go along with marmol from the right side, I think they could part with him. Any thoughts?