Cubs Acquire Aaron Heilman For Cedeno, Olson

alright I'm gonna say it first. could they be acquiring Heilman to get the pitching the Padres want for Peavy??

im pretty sure every move the cubs make arent a precursor to a peavey deal though...

most likely protection for if(or when) they lose marshall in the peavy deal

I'd think that its probably more an emergency plan in case Harden goes down with an injury. The importance of the Aaron Heilmans and Tanyon Sturtzes (sp) is well underrated.

Yea this is just a personal opinion but Ronny Cedeno alone should get that deal done. Heilman's numbers are not real good.

If they are trading for him to be a starter I think its not a good idea. He's not that good of a reliever either.

i liked the idea of getting heilman for marquis when that was very briefly mentioned around the winter meetings, so if we can get him for cedeno and not much else, i'm all for it. cedeno does have some talent, but good lord is he dumb. i promise i'm not making this up, but a friend of mine is a paralegal at the law firm that is handling his paternity suit (the same firm handled michael jordan's divorce) here in chicago, and word is he loves the nightlife a little too much. as far as peavy goes, i don't think this would have much to do with it. they want pitching and a top prospect.

and from what i gathered with heilman was that he was misused in the mets bullpen, he is more suited as a situational lefty, not a top set-up guy. with the front 3 starters locked in, and then harden as a wild card, stocking up on potential spot starters is definitely a good idea. guys like gaudin, marshall, potentially heilman, shark's gonna get some starts in spring, this kid olson...i like this move, should it happen. of course, should the peavy deal ever happen (i have my doubts), pieces will be lost, but you worry about that when the time comes.

ONE year removed from a 140 ERA+ season.

ONE year.

Yeah... he's so terrible...

This is a VERY good move by the Cubs.

If they can land Heilman for Cedeno and a pitcher (Atkins?) then I think that would be a very solid addition to their team.

Heilman was a very, very good reliever from 2005-2007, although his BB/9 and HR/9 went up a good deal in 2008.

I think this is pretty solid buy low move by the Cubs though. He should be a very nice bullpen piece for a team that could use it, and he'll probably fight Marshall and Olson for the five spot in the rotation, barring a Peavy trade.

I am shocked that somebody does not think this will be part of the Peavy deal making it 8 for 1.

Posted by: supermets | January 28, 2009 at 10:41 AM

The Padres would probably be the best place for Heilman. His homeruns would go down and he could probably succeed as a starter there. In Wrigley an ERA under 5 would surprise me.

i agree with you that san diego is a better pitchers park but i think he'll succeed anywhere that he gets a spot in the starting rotation. getting out of new york won't hurt either

I saw a posting from Levine about this last Saturday. Supposedly the Cubs were close to signing Juan Uribe as well. So it would make sense that Cedeno would be going in this. I really don't understand it since the Cubs already have Gaudin and just got Vizcaino, so this almost seems redundant... unless, of course, this is a move for Peavy or to replace pieces traded for him.

nick v-oops, i could have sworn he was a lefty. i'm an idiot...

and if cedeno ever proves to be a capable player, then more power to him, but it won't happen here, and i'm more than happy with that. he had his chances with the cubs.

"When the Cubs get rid of Cedeno and Hill and if Vitters is gone in a Peavy deal, they will have the worst farm system of any team not named the Yankees of the last 10 or so years."

You clearly have not seen Houston's farm system. Cedeno and Hill aren't considered prospects anyway.

If the Cubs do move Vitters though, they'll go from the bottom 10 farm systems to the bottom 2-3.

And honestly, if you look at how many pitchers the Cubs have now that seem like they belong on a ML roster, and it's starting to look more and more like a Peavy trade is coming:

Vitters, Olson, Heilman, Hart and Flaherty?

"I really don't understand it since the Cubs already have Gaudin and just got Vizcaino, so this almost seems redundant... unless, of course, this is a move for Peavy or to replace pieces traded for him."

I agree. Although in Gaudin's case, I know management was not happy with him over his injury late last season. I'm not sure if that has carried over to the offseason or not. These moves sure have Peavy written all over it though.

cedeno
patterson
murton
pie

these guys looked like a couple yrs ago, to be a solid young core...but cubs opted for more expensive players and blocked their chances, never fully giving them a shot

Call me crazy but Pie, if allowed to start in CF for a season or two, I think would have been a GREAT player. Catch every ball between the corner guys, throw hard, and bat an adequate .260, with power and speed. Basically Jim Edmonds but 15 years younger.

Yeah, I totally forgot that Cedeno got the everyday chance in 2006. He was brutally bad.

Cedeno was given every opportunity to succeed, and has so far proven to be a .240 hitter with a decent glove who is prone to mental lapses on the field.

How was Patterson blocked? He was the unquestioned starter in 2003 until he got hurt, got the job back in '04 and was inconsistent, and had one of the worst offensive seasons in modern baseball history in '05. If anything they opted for him instead of bringing back Lofton in '03 and may have cost themselves the pennant with that decision (among others).

Murton is a below average outfielder who can hit for a decent average if given enough at-bats but not much else. Again, he was given plenty of chances to succeed in '06 and '07 but has proven to be a part timer at best, and bottomed out once he was traded to Oakland (and if a player with his skill set can't succeed in Oakland there's not much hope for him anywhere). Pie was given shot after shot and failed everytime. When you haven't won a championship in 101 years, you don't have time to be patient with a young player's development. He may develop in Baltimore, but he could also just be another Patterson.

Correction: I meant bringing back Lofton in '04.

With Hill being a bust that's out of options, who can't keep the ball in the yard, and all, the Cubs could trade him to the Dodgers for OF Jason Repko(a homeless man's DeRosa). Hill would be another 5th starter option, and maybe, just maybe, Chavez Ravine could slightly reduce the number of dingers Hill gives up.

"cedeno
patterson
murton
pie

these guys looked like a couple yrs ago, to be a solid young core...but cubs opted for more expensive players and blocked their chances, never fully giving them a shot

Posted by: arly2380 | January 28, 2009 at 11:05 AM
"
Murton and E. Patterson went to the A's in the Harden Deal.
Pie was sent to Balt to acquire Olson, who may be a part of the Peavy deal.
Now talk of Cedeno being sent for Heilman.

They were not blocked...they were treated as they should have been...trade chips, and were dealt for highly effective players that would be able to contribute in their window of opportunity...they traded years of controllable cheap years for productive MLB ball players. I don't see the harm in that.

Murton and E. Patterson went to the A's in the Harden Deal.
Pie was sent to Balt to acquire Olson, who may be a part of the Peavy deal.
Now talk of Cedeno being sent for Heilman.

They were not blocked...they were treated as they should have been...trade chips, and were dealt for highly effective players that would be able to contribute in their window of opportunity...they traded years of controllable cheap years for productive MLB ball players. I don't see the harm in that.

Posted by: corbin

"Highly effective" may be a bit much. Particularly in the case of Olsen.

Cub's fans should do themselves a favor and stop overrating their players.... especially young prospects.

It almost always leads to disappointment.

"Why on earth would the Cubs want Heilman? He doesn't have the makeup to be a successful reliever (SU or CL) and only has 2 pitches... he can't start, he can't stop... "

Yes he wasn't one of the top setup guys in baseball or anything. Right. Oh wait.

The system would hardly be the worst in the last ten years. It would be very lacking but certainly not rebuildable.

"Cub's fans should do themselves a favor and stop overrating their players.... especially young prospects.

It almost always leads to disappointment"

Which then leads to us landing guys like Lee, Ramirez, Harden, etc. I'll certainly take it.

Don't forget Zambrano.

I think the point is ... "If the prospects are so good, why aren't they on the roster and playing every day?"

i guess hill technically is a minor league pitcher at this point, and i'd be willing to part with him in this deal.

Hill isn't making our roster, so we are going to lose him for nothing at the end of spring training, if not sooner. If he was the pitcher in this I would be more than thrilled, just for the fact that we are going to lose him anyway.

I've always like Hill, his curve rivaled Zito's in his prime...too bad he can no longer control it, and he never had much control of the fastball.

Olson. Of course. Hendry is huge fail this offseason.

"ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says the Mariners acquired Cedeno and Garrett Olson from the Cubs for Heilman."

And there you have it. The trade swings toward the M's. What the hell is Hendry doing? Here come all the "Peavy isn't going to be a Cub" people...

But, but, but. Peavy deal, the Peavy deal, Peavy, Peavy.

Rich Hill? Come on. You would be lucky to get used gum for Rich Hill.

hope the cubs let heilman start

And Cub fans dreams of Peavy face into oblivion…

AHAHAHAHA! Oh wow, so much for the Peavy talk.

I think Hendry overpaid here. Good for GM Z to swipe a couple of young players for a 29 year old Heilman.

The Mets are not what I would call a "losing team".

Its still not that terrible because Pie and Cedeno were pretty much out of options, but you think Olsen could have netted them a little more.

tolo- yes really he looks like a good setup man or future closer, he would be very good in PETCO.

i love this trade becuase i am a reds fan, and i think the cubs gave up WAY to much talent for Heilamn

I'm just glad to be rid of Cedeno!!

Heilman pitches with a high elbow, which can make him a break down candidate as a starter.

The following starters and key players were either were developed through the Cubs farm or acquired with farm players

Derek Lee
Aramis Ramirez
Geovanny Soto
Ryan Theriot
Mike Fontenot (traded for as a minor leaguer)

In other words, their entire starting infield and catcher is a result of their farm system.

Carlos Zambrano
Rich Harden
Jeff Samardzija
Carlos Marmol
Kevin Gregg

So… two top starters and their three best relievers.

Yet, you still get the same group of posters sounding like broken records and don’t put much thought into what they post. Farm system rankings are fun to read but they mean little if you can’t get solid major leaguers who consistently produce talent. It’s obvious the Cubs have been able to parlay their farm system talent into key components on a World Series contender. What can be more productive than that? The rest is just fun, but ultimately meaningless.

And yet someone keeps bringing Peavy up. You dont have the bullets. Marshall was always available guy, its just that he isnt very good.

do not forget

ceda for gregg

salary dump of derosa

unable to get peavy...cubs offseason isnt too impressive

Marshall isn't very good? lol
Every team in the majors would like to have him under control. He's young, left handed, and he is actually pretty good. Check his numbers before you post things about him.

"And yet someone keeps bringing Peavy up. You dont have the bullets. Marshall was always available guy, its just that he isnt very good."

Stop with your blatant agenda. Towers kept bringing Marshall up and Hendry kept saying he wasn't available. Read.

Well, farm system ratings mean alot when you are trading your minor leaguers for players. They have to be highly regarded to be able to get decent value in return. You listed a bunch of players that were developed in other systems and were acquired by the Cubs via trade. If they had no farm system in place during those trades then they wouldnt have received those players in the first place. Once you trade away all of those chips like now, you have less leverage to fill gaps and instead turn to buying free agents or players on the wrong side of 30. As this team ages and you cannot fill holes by trading farm talent you dont have, or developing replacements, you will begin to see production start to tail off as well as the team's performance.

I've seen this first hand as a White Sox fan. Our team aged and we traded away any and all decent talent to fill gaps. Luckily we got a World Series out of it, but are now basically in full restocking mode and have had to start to turn over our roster.

rock,

Luckilly for us, our payroll will fill most of those holes. I understand what you are saying though, but the Cubs are going for it with their window. I haven't minded at all because most of the guys they traded ended up doing nothing...but the guys that could hurt us might be Pie, Gallagher, and Vitters if they let him go. However, we haven't traded anything lately that any of us are even looking back at as or right now.