Kevin Gregg Trade Reactions

Although it seems incredibly stupid to throw ceda at the marlins, I still have faith in hendry this winter. After the harden deal my perception of him totally changed. All summer we heard how "worthless" murton/patterson/gallagher etc. were and he still used them to put the cubs in excellent playoff position. I think he can pull something out.

Very true, but it's a long offseason. I'd love to see furcal/roberts in a cub uni next year and they can definitely make that happen.

Gregg has good stuff but he isnt a shut down closer like Wood. Though personally, I think he will be a set up man with Marmol as the closer.

They didnt want Wood back at his asking price of 10mil per season because theyre obviously looking to spend that money elsewhere and why not when you have a guy like Marmol already groomed to take over.

I don't really mind adding Gregg to save money rather than signing Kerry, but giving up Ceda to do it was just awful.

Ceda could very well end up being just as good as Gregg as soon as this season, and his upside as a reliever is huge. The Marlins likely wouldve dealt him for less, and he's simply not worth Ceda regardless.

As far as I can see, this move alone is a simply awful trade. I think it's obviously part of some bigger plan though, I just really up Hendry didn't screw up by getting so little for Ceda.

I would've figured the number one reaction would've been, "Who is Kevin Gregg?"

No Indy,

1st off, Wood has a way higher K rate, lower walk rate, and lower hit rate than Kevin Gregg. What is CAIRO projecting on? Wood in his career as a whole or Wood as a reliever? He proved to be dominant and more consistent as a reliever. I don't you'll find anybody else compare Wood and Gregg as equals in 2009.

Regardless, the uproar on the move is giving up a guy who is better and passing up other guys who would cost the same and be better for Kevin Gregg.

This was a really bad trade, even in any big picture scenario you see fit.

I don't know what Cairo is basing their projections on, but you'll be hard pressed to find anybody in baseball say Kevin Gregg will be the equal of Kerry Wood in 2009. 1st off, Wood's has much better stuff than Gregg as the numbers indicate.

Wood had a much higher K rate, much lower walk rate, and similar hit rate.

Secondly, I'm definitely not debating the quality of gaining payroll flexibility, the draft picks, nor avoiding the risk of Wood's injury history. What I am in an uproar about is trading away a guy 10 years younger who has a good chance to outperform the guy he was trade for....straight up! In addition, there were a variety of ways Hendry could have gone to acquire a set-up man on the cheap who will likely outperform Kevin Gregg. As I mentioned previously, Juan Cruz fits this bill. Jeremy Affeldt is another. Basically anybody that would have cost less than Wood.

Just to ask Cubs fans, do you think that Marmol is ready to close next year? I've seen him pitch many times in the past two years and he just appears to be a marvel to me. I know Kerry Wood has a great reputation in Chicago but I wouldn't necessarily feel uncomfortable with having Marmol closing out games for the next few years if I were a Cubs fan. I think he's ready enough to allow yourself to NOT throw all that money at Wood.

Wood is a shutdown closer? ROFLZ. He is solid and better than Gregg though.

Kieth Law in his 50 top FA's has Wood rated abouve K-rod and Fuentes. He certainly is shut down. I watched him pitch last year, he has some pretty sick stuff.

MattyMets - I don't really think Marmol is ready just yet, he is still to erratic at times. he has the stuff, but right now is more important to us being able to go 1-2 innings when we need him to.

I am not upset they are letting wood go but they could have gotten some fringe prospect tossed in there on the deal.

I don't like the trade either, but I wouldn't exactly call it a "heist". You're getting a major league closer who opponents batted .205 against for the last 2 years in the ML's, he's stranded 32 of 36 inherited runners and is will only cost around $3M.

It would be very optimistic to think Ceda would be major league ready and as effective as Gregg in '09.

Hendry is obviously willing to sacrifice the future to have the best chance of winning in '09 which I don't mind the philosophy at all.

When Wood can control the slider, which he did last year, he is downright filthy. The pitch is thrown at 88 mph, which is the speed of a lot of guys fastballs. He was hitting 98 with the fastball...I mean, what else do you want in a closer if he isn't the shutdown type?

His BB/K ration blows K-Rods away, and they have vitually identical BAA and Opponents OPS stats.

Lidge, Rivera, and Soria were all better...but thats about it.

Hendry got slammed by many for shelling out sizable multiyear contracts to guys like Howry and Eyre.

I suspect many of those same folks are now back carping about how Hendry should've gone out and signed a Cruz/Affeldt type instead of trading for Gregg.

And of course they'd be the same ones slamming Hendry if he had done none of the above, leaving Cubs' bullpen weaker next year.

I am really surprised with the backlash against Hendry regarding this deal. Once the decision was made not to sign Wood & Howry (i am assuming), you needed a proven arm in the bullpen with Smarz & Marmol. I think to suggest they just go out and sign Cruz or Affeldt is assuming Hendry has the money to sign somebody to a long term deal when he just may not. For the first time in years you heard Hendry mention payroll contraints yesterday.

Gregg is a good picther - he is not great but his b/a againt the last two years is .205. Yes his walk ratio is a bit too high but you take out September of 08' when he was injured and he has been a solid picther the last two years - which i think makes him a pretty good bet for a third.

Wood is better than Gregg so this tells me it's a payroll move. I thought the Cubs were working without a payroll budget??

-Gregg is a FA after 09

-whats the love fest for Hermida? Hermida doesnt excite me. He had 502abs and hit .249avg with a 323obp. 17hr and 61rbi's isnt that impressive. Hes a young Jaque Jones....

-Say NO to Abreu, hes an expensive DeRosa that hits left handed.

"Hermida is only 24 and shows some pretty significant home/road splits -- his career OPS is 100 points higher away from Dolphins Stadium."

I agree with this. Turn his home park from extreme pitchers park to Wrigley, and I think he goes .270/.350

"-Gregg is a FA after 09"

This isn't a bad thing. If we let him go, which i believe is the plan, there is a good chance he is a type B or even A free agent, right? One or two more picks would be nice.

Gregg is an A right now...and pretty high up there, probably due to saves. But, next years rankings will go by 2008 and 2009. His 08 was pretty darned good (relatively speaking), so there is actually a pretty decent chance he ends up an A.

As long as he performs well, I think I'd be alright offering him ARB after this year...chances are he will be a setup man and won't make more than like 4 mil on a one year deal if he accepts...right? or am I missing something here...

With Howry...he would be lucky to get the 1 year deal at that money because people figured out that he throws one pitch.

"Say NO to Abreu, hes an expensive DeRosa that hits left handed."

I've seen this a few times now, lofty praise for Derosa and undervaluing Abreu.

Last season was the first time Derosa out performed Abreu and it wasn't by much. Abreu k's less, walks more, steals more and hits for more power. I'd agree Derosa should remain a Cub because of his versatility and price tag but Abreu is clearly the superior offensive player.

"The guy's got a lot of talent and could really blossom if he plays his prime years in a more favorable hitter's park."

How does a ballpark have anything to do with how a player "blossoms"?

I'm sure Abreu is worth a less, and DeRosa is worth more...but you aren't going to find guys that hit like DeRo has for the Cubs on the market for 4 to 5 mil a year. Hendry made an awesome signing that year...along with the Lilly one as well.

Why are the Marlins just so good?

Its clear Hendry didnt think Ceda would help the team next year, so he went and got a guy that could as well as saved money from not signing wood so that we could use that money for an upgrade in RF. We have a small window to win. We are playing for 2009, not 2011. Point is, Ceda cant help us win a WS next year where Gregg can. We can always turn around and trade Gregg at the deadline for another Ceda type player....its a win for the cubs. Also, keep in mind Gregg should be a type A FA next year, so if we lose him, we get 2 draft picks.

yo cubs fans,
97 wins deludes that this is a flawed lineup that could just as easily fall apart as click

if it's all about 2009, how does that explain trading one of your few chips for a guy that could just as easily be non-tendered

ted lilly at $10-12 mill at ridiculous market rates is not an awful signing, but it is far, far from "awesome"

clarknaddison: did you really ask "what does a ballpark have to do with how a player 'blossoms'?"
apparently you've never heard of sammy sosa. or larry walker. or ryan howard. or barry zito. or ...

i always find it interesting how everyone is a GM but do not have a clue how it works. the trade was not Woods for Gregg, the trade was woods at 10 mil a year for gregg at 4.5 mil. thus the real trade is woods for gregg plus what 6 mil a year can buy in the market, i.e. either Johnson and or a left handed bat. So assuming they want Johnson, the real trade was gregg and johnson for woods, now how does that sound? A steal of course for the Cubs. Gregg saved a lot of games and i watched him last year, he has a live fastball and without the knee problem, he would have saved 35 games. Ceda is not ready yet...by the time he is, the Cubs will be a new team. Let Hendry finish his off season and then you will see the real plan and how this trade was sensational. Also just wait until you watch Greg pitch without pain and you will understand all. They will have a super pen and either Johnson in the rotation or Peavy and a left handed bat for about the same as they would have spent with Wood and the free agents from last year. The team will improve.