Odds and Ends: Bard, Cubs, Guardado

I also think that the Cubs made a stupid move by getting rid of Mark DeRosa. But does anyone think that they did it and are going to sign him next year as a free agent?

Interested to see the arbitration $$ on both sides for the Phils and the likes of Howard and Hamels.

*get traded*

In regards to a potential deal with Baltimore, I just don't see it being a Brian Roberts trade. If it was, then why sign Aaron Miles for over 2 mill a year when they already have a glut of middle infielders? Sure, he's more adept at handling 3B than probably Ronny Cedeno and I'm assuming Cedeno will have to be involved in any potential deal with either SD or Baltimore...but I just don't see it happening. I'm holding hope that new ownership is identified, that they approve a payroll bump and that Peavy is a Cub by the end of the month.

I think Cubs fans are a little too emotionally attached to DeRosa. He's a great player and a great team guy, but he's replaceable.

Fontenot is going to get better and I expect to see a better year from him this season. Miles is going to help fill bridge the gaps.

I think Olney is just having an opinion for the sake of having one because I don't really see that great of an argument.

To Calcubsfan

DeRosa wasn't the best player. He was simply the most versatile. Aram was the best player.
And who makes more sense than Bradley? Dunn, maybe Abreu. No! Abreu's scared of walls and Dunn has no range.

"Derosa was the best player on the team and he will be missed."

*SMACK*

They've already replaced him, msk86. Perhaps you don't think it's a good replacement but it's already happened.
Fontenots production is going to increase and Miles will help round that out.

There's also plenty of reason to believe what the Cubs got out of DeRo last year isn't going to be what they get this year.

jesus colome looks like a nice pick up

Abreu is afraid of walls, but at least he plays defense. I don't buy the argument that Bradley is better defensively than Abreu, it's not for no reason that Bradley has played defense in 100 games or more in only one season.

Without the DH spot as a possibility you have to assume that Bradley is going to be in a platoon or else will miss a significant amount of time. It makes no sense to throw 10 million a year at someone as unreliable as Bradley. Hell I would much prefer a Garret Anderson signing to a Milton Bradley signing.

derosa will absolutely be missed. as i said above, his production will be replaced by fonty/miles, though to a lesser extent. fonty's apparently going to get a good look at short in spring, and i'm all for that. miles can play every position, just like derosa, just not as well. his leadership will be missed, and that's not really replaceable. every time things started going wrong, he was the first to step up and tell it like it is. i try not to overvalue intangible stuff like that, but this team sorely needs that sort of leadership, especially now that woody's gone. i'm hoping lee can step up or maybe dempster, cuz you know it's not coming from soriano or ramirez or zambrano. we'll see.

I don't think the Cubs see adding Miles and trading DeRosa as anything more than left handed options for Lou to shuffle in/out on a daily basis. This, and clearing money (Marquis, too) for Bradley. I am not saying Theriot, Fonteno and Miles will scare people. They all are scrappy, little middle infielders who do not dazzle. They just play ball. You can do better and you can do a whole lot worse with those three up the middle. Cedeno is like Pie...gone.

There very well may be another trade coming in wake of DeRosa. Right now, I say it is more likely Hendry gets the Marquis deal done and signs Bradley (or whomever) and waits until the new ownership takes over before entertaining anything else.

Here is the Cubs argument that production from 2nd base will be just fine next year.

1. Better defense. I'm not putting all my stock into it, but Bill James has DeRosa as the of the worst 2nd basemen defensively last year, and Fontenot as one of the best. Again, not completely buying into it all...but the difference between the two is pretty big.

2. DeRosa - OPS+ 118, OPS .857

Fontenot - OPS+ 131, OPS .909

Fontenot will almost surely only be batting against righties as well, with Miles taking the at bats against the lefties.

Again, it is a gamble, because Fontenot is still young...but it could turn out to be a good one. I think if Fontenot is looking like a bench player at mid season, which is definitely possible, then you look to see what it takes to get Roberts. However, Fontenot deserves this opportunity.

"Abreu is afraid of walls, but at least he plays defense. I don't buy the argument that Bradley is better defensively than Abreu, it's not for no reason that Bradley has played defense in 100 games or more in only one season."

Pretty much every defensive metric out there says that Bradley is a very good defender, and excellent at RF.

The thing that seems curious to me is if Derosa was so valuable and in-demand, why didn't the Cubs get a better return? I understand the salary-dump part, but aren't there better prospects out there?

Actually the more I think about it the more I like signing Pat Burrell, his SLUG% is only marginally lower than Dunn's and he strikes out a ton less. Also, while Burrell is by no means a stellar defensive right fielder, he still has spent more time in the outfield than Abreu or Bradley, and he's certainly more solid defensively than Dunn. Anybody know what Burrell is asking for salary wise?

"Pretty much every defensive metric out there says that Bradley is a very good defender, and excellent at RF."

You can be the most talented defender in the league, but if you aren't playing it's not going to do the team any good. It doesn't take Bill James to tell you that Bradley has a pretty strong history of injuries, suspensions, etc...

adunc-is Gaub the kid with the outrageous k/9 rate? hendry's trade history is pretty damn good (maddux for izturis and the awful pierre trade excluded) so i'll give him the benefit of the doubt too.

"
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Odds and Ends: Arbitration, Cubs, Guardado
By Tim Dierkes [January 2, 2009 at 11:43am CST]
Links for Friday (feels like a Monday)...

RotoAuthority asks readers to name their #1 sleeper for 2009.
The Marlins reportedly have interest in reliever Jesus Colome.
MLB.com's Barry Bloom explains that the arbitration filing period begins Monday. He gives a nice primer on the arbitration system for those that need to brush up. Ryan Howard is due for another big raise.
Buster Olney does not like the Cubs' recent moves, particularly the Mark DeRosa trade.
Jeff Wilson says the Rangers remain in contact with free agent reliever Eddie Guardado.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Full Story | Comments (36) | Categories: Chicago Cubs | Eddie Guardado | Florida Marlins | Mark DeRosa | Philadelphia Phillies | RotoAuthority | Ryan Howard | Texas Rangers
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I also think that the Cubs made a stupid move by getting rid of Mark DeRosa. But does anyone think that they did it and are going to sign him next year as a free agent?

Posted by: Cubbies22 | January 02, 2009 at 11:50 AM

Buster Olney knows jack about baseball. The fact that he hates Hendry's moves makes me all the more comfortable.

Posted by: OctoberFlurry | January 02, 2009 at 11:54 AM

Interested to see the arbitration $$ on both sides for the Phils and the likes of Howard and Hamels.

Posted by: philsWSchamps | January 02, 2009 at 11:55 AM

"I also think that the Cubs made a stupid move by getting rid of Mark DeRosa. But does anyone think that they did it and are going to sign him next year as a free agent?"

I doubt it. they signed miles for 2 years, and already have theriot and fontenot for middle infield, not to mention ronny cedeno. i think cedeno will great trade here soon, definitely before spring training, but i don't think derosa comes back. i was sorry to see him go, but between miles and fontenot, production from second base won't go down, i don't think. the cubs seem to be finally convinced about fonty, and it's about time.

Posted by: 100backeduptrucks | January 02, 2009 at 12:04 PM

*get traded*

Posted by: 100backeduptrucks | January 02, 2009 at 12:05 PM

I still think that the Cubs didn't just trade DeRosa for the sake of clearing payroll. I think they already have something in place for either Baltimore or San Diego. They have the money but it just has to get cleared by the potential new owners, so its taking longer.

Posted by: uww1 | January 02, 2009 at 12:06 PM

In regards to a potential deal with Baltimore, I just don't see it being a Brian Roberts trade. If it was, then why sign Aaron Miles for over 2 mill a year when they already have a glut of middle infielders? Sure, he's more adept at handling 3B than probably Ronny Cedeno and I'm assuming Cedeno will have to be involved in any potential deal with either SD or Baltimore...but I just don't see it happening. I'm holding hope that new ownership is identified, that they approve a payroll bump and that Peavy is a Cub by the end of the month.

Posted by: BigBatsMcHellfire | January 02, 2009 at 12:14 PM

"Buster Olney knows jack about baseball. The fact that he hates Hendry's moves makes me all the more comfortable."

This makes no sense. If you read the article he wrote on ESPN, all of the points he makes are valid. Derosa was the best player on the team and he will be missed. There sould not be a push to sign Milton Bradley when he cant stay healthy and entire season and they should have waited to get somebody who makes more sense. Derosa could have played right field for the Cubs and they could have put fontenot at second base, solving the problem with Lou wanting a left handed bat.

Posted by: CalCubsfan | January 02, 2009 at 12:19 PM

I think Cubs fans are a little too emotionally attached to DeRosa. He's a great player and a great team guy, but he's replaceable.

Fontenot is going to get better and I expect to see a better year from him this season. Miles is going to help fill bridge the gaps.

I think Olney is just having an opinion for the sake of having one because I don't really see that great of an argument.

Posted by: Arock | January 02, 2009 at 12:27 PM

if he's replaceable, who are they going to replace him with? fontenot's a good player, but come on. the only way they could "replace" his production (and this would only be at 2B) would be with roberts or hudson. that's just not happening.

Posted by: msk86 | January 02, 2009 at 12:40 PM

To Calcubsfan

DeRosa wasn't the best player. He was simply the most versatile. Aram was the best player.
And who makes more sense than Bradley? Dunn, maybe Abreu. No! Abreu's scared of walls and Dunn has no range.

Posted by: OctoberFlurry | January 02, 2009 at 12:41 PM

DeRosa was a nice pickup - even if he slipped a little he would have been good for .270 with 15 hrs and stopgap at all positions. I think a trade with Balt is coming down the pike but not for roberts - perhaps cedeno and one or two of the pitcher cleve gave us for Huff. Huff isn't a stud but does give us abit more pop then Derosa. In effect it would be DeRosa and cedeno for Huff and a pitching prospect - seems even if not slighty tilted to cubs.

Posted by: touchmymonkey | January 02, 2009 at 12:43 PM

"Derosa was the best player on the team and he will be missed."

*SMACK*

Posted by: ArodSucksAtLife | January 02, 2009 at 12:45 PM

I think the trade of DeRosa is a smart one even though he was so valuable for the Cubs last year. He was at the end of a 3 year contract and Hendry hopefully received good value for him. DeRosa had career numbers last year and is 35 M/L. Lets hope we(the Cubs and Cub fans) get career numbers from Miles and the prospects produce or are traded for a difference maker. Lets hope Bradley signs elsewhere and maybe sign Dunn. Bad defense and all he will play more games than Bradley and is better in the clubhouse than Bradley and his numbers are nice 40 HRs and 130 RBIs with a high on base percentage.

Posted by: Goat Kabobs | January 02, 2009 at 12:47 PM

They've already replaced him, msk86. Perhaps you don't think it's a good replacement but it's already happened.
Fontenots production is going to increase and Miles will help round that out.

There's also plenty of reason to believe what the Cubs got out of DeRo last year isn't going to be what they get this year.

Posted by: Arock | January 02, 2009 at 12:47 PM

I don't understand why Hendry wants Bradley so badly. If it was up to me I would go with Dunn.

Posted by: Cubbies22 | January 02, 2009 at 12:48 PM

jesus colome looks like a nice pick up

Posted by: marlinsman1120 | January 02, 2009 at 12:53 PM

What are you talking about Arock? Nobody has come out and said miles or fontenot are the starting 2B. And what the hell are you talking about that there's plenty of reason for derosa declining? he's been on an upswing for 3 years. yeah, me may not go 20/80 again, but he's not going to plummet.

Posted by: msk86 | January 02, 2009 at 12:54 PM

So let me get this straight:

The Cubs trade DeRosa (.285 21HRs 87RBIs) to the Indians so that they can free up money to sign Milton Bradley (.321 21HRS 77RBIs), who has never played more than 120 games in his life.

I know they need a LH bat, but wouldn't Dunn make more sense?

Posted by: tolo316 | January 02, 2009 at 12:58 PM

Abreu is afraid of walls, but at least he plays defense. I don't buy the argument that Bradley is better defensively than Abreu, it's not for no reason that Bradley has played defense in 100 games or more in only one season.

Without the DH spot as a possibility you have to assume that Bradley is going to be in a platoon or else will miss a significant amount of time. It makes no sense to throw 10 million a year at someone as unreliable as Bradley. Hell I would much prefer a Garret Anderson signing to a Milton Bradley signing.

Posted by: tuffgongcubs | January 02, 2009 at 12:58 PM

derosa will absolutely be missed. as i said above, his production will be replaced by fonty/miles, though to a lesser extent. fonty's apparently going to get a good look at short in spring, and i'm all for that. miles can play every position, just like derosa, just not as well. his leadership will be missed, and that's not really replaceable. every time things started going wrong, he was the first to step up and tell it like it is. i try not to overvalue intangible stuff like that, but this team sorely needs that sort of leadership, especially now that woody's gone. i'm hoping lee can step up or maybe dempster, cuz you know it's not coming from soriano or ramirez or zambrano. we'll see.

Posted by: 100backeduptrucks | January 02, 2009 at 12:59 PM

Who is going to play 2nd base then?

And I never said he's going to "plummet." I said there's reason to believe he's not going to be the same this year.

His value is highest right now.

I will agree with Olney in the sense that I don't think it was absolutely necessary to trade him at this moment. But I have no problem with him being traded- even though I think he's good player.

Posted by: Arock | January 02, 2009 at 01:00 PM

I don't think the Cubs see adding Miles and trading DeRosa as anything more than left handed options for Lou to shuffle in/out on a daily basis. This, and clearing money (Marquis, too) for Bradley. I am not saying Theriot, Fonteno and Miles will scare people. They all are scrappy, little middle infielders who do not dazzle. They just play ball. You can do better and you can do a whole lot worse with those three up the middle. Cedeno is like Pie...gone.

There very well may be another trade coming in wake of DeRosa. Right now, I say it is more likely Hendry gets the Marquis deal done and signs Bradley (or whomever) and waits until the new ownership takes over before entertaining anything else.

Posted by: studio179 | January 02, 2009 at 01:01 PM

That is very true, 100. While intangables are not production nor should be over valued, they count. Leadership is something that will be missed from those two. I think we will be ok though.

Posted by: studio179 | January 02, 2009 at 01:07 PM

Here is the Cubs argument that production from 2nd base will be just fine next year.

1. Better defense. I'm not putting all my stock into it, but Bill James has DeRosa as the of the worst 2nd basemen defensively last year, and Fontenot as one of the best. Again, not completely buying into it all...but the difference between the two is pretty big.

2. DeRosa - OPS+ 118, OPS .857

Fontenot - OPS+ 131, OPS .909

Fontenot will almost surely only be batting against righties as well, with Miles taking the at bats against the lefties.

Again, it is a gamble, because Fontenot is still young...but it could turn out to be a good one. I think if Fontenot is looking like a bench player at mid season, which is definitely possible, then you look to see what it takes to get Roberts. However, Fontenot deserves this opportunity.

Posted by: Aduncaroo | January 02, 2009 at 01:10 PM

I also do not like the Cubs recent moves.

The only thing that would make me feel better is getting Dunn, NOT Bradley.

Posted by: grathanial | January 02, 2009 at 01:11 PM

"Abreu is afraid of walls, but at least he plays defense. I don't buy the argument that Bradley is better defensively than Abreu, it's not for no reason that Bradley has played defense in 100 games or more in only one season."

Pretty much every defensive metric out there says that Bradley is a very good defender, and excellent at RF.

Posted by: Aduncaroo | January 02, 2009 at 01:13 PM

So let me get this straight. Some baseball people think the Cubs and Padres are going to renew the Peavy talks and some think they won't? That is basically the "rumor"? Wow! That's great reporting.

Posted by: E K | January 02, 2009 at 01:13 PM

The thing that seems curious to me is if Derosa was so valuable and in-demand, why didn't the Cubs get a better return? I understand the salary-dump part, but aren't there better prospects out there?

Posted by: Art | January 02, 2009 at 01:13 PM

I will say that I really thought the return on DeRosa would be better. However, I'm going to give Hendry the benefit of the doubt, as he got Fontenot in a Sosa salary dump, and Jose Ceda in a Todd Walker salary dump. I do really like Gaub's numbers though...

Posted by: Aduncaroo | January 02, 2009 at 01:14 PM

Actually the more I think about it the more I like signing Pat Burrell, his SLUG% is only marginally lower than Dunn's and he strikes out a ton less. Also, while Burrell is by no means a stellar defensive right fielder, he still has spent more time in the outfield than Abreu or Bradley, and he's certainly more solid defensively than Dunn. Anybody know what Burrell is asking for salary wise?

Posted by: tuffgongcubs | January 02, 2009 at 01:18 PM

Burrell is right handed...he isn't an option.

Posted by: Aduncaroo | January 02, 2009 at 01:21 PM

"Pretty much every defensive metric out there says that Bradley is a very good defender, and excellent at RF."

You can be the most talented defender in the league, but if you aren't playing it's not going to do the team any good. It doesn't take Bill James to tell you that Bradley has a pretty strong history of injuries, suspensions, etc..."

I completely agree with this, but just think that it needs to be mentioned that when Milton is out there, his defense is very good. People seem to lump him in with the Dunn, Abreu, Burrell group, and thats just not true. Milton Bradley is a good defender.

"adunc-is Gaub the kid with the outrageous k/9 rate?"

Yes, which is why I love him.

i thought it was. his k/9 is something like 13 isn't it? that's marmol territory.
and our buddies at BCB have posted sully's projected opening day lineup. good thing he's not the manager...

2B Aaron Miles

CF Joey Gathright

1B Derrek Lee

3B Aramis Ramirez

RF MIlton Bradley

LF Alfonso Soriano

C Geovany Soto

SS Ryan Theriot

SP Carlos Zambrano

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-01-cubslineup,0,36769.htmlstory

lol Sully.

sully is a sniveling turd. good thing he decided to actually start working the last couple of days.

yeah they have made a lot of trades so their prospects are pretty good under wilken, but that is the point. We trade too much and sign too many type A free agents without gaining those pick back(Wood) to have a good farm system

Heyman ranks Garland, Crede, and O-Cab over Derek Lowe... Is he out of his g-damn mind?

isn't it fairly obvious that heyman ranked by letters of the alphabet, at least until the last few?

hyro-i think he was listing them alphabetically

i just realized that the last couple aren't alaphabetical. maybe he is out of his mind...

One more thing, can you guys stop quoting 10+ posts in one post?

larry/cmac-i have absolutely no idea how he came about that list. 1-16 are clearly alhabetical (at least i sincerely hope so) then he just throws the other guys in there. so to answer your question cmac, no, i don't have any more theories, but thnx for being a d!ck about it...

PL,

Don't like it? Don't read it, thx.

cmac-sarcasm went undetected. my bad. my first new year's resolution was to not be hungover any more, and it hasn't gone away yet. i'm an old man...

Nah, no one is too old. Just can't do the things like you once did is all.

Side note, watching that Hawks game at Wrigley got me fired up about baseball in January. Go Cubs!

Players included in Jon Heyman's top 20 Remaining Free Agents:
Bobby Abreu RF
Milton Bradley RF
Pat Burrell LF
Orlando Cabrera SS
Adam Dunn RF/1B
Jon Garland SP
Jason Giambi 1B
Orlando Hudson 2B
Derek Lowe SP
Oliver Perez SP
Andy Pettitte SP
Manny Ramirez LF
Ben Sheets SP
Jason Varitek C
Randy Wolf SP
Garrett Anderson LF
Freddy Garcia SP
Cliff Floyd RF
Tim Redding SP

Players i feel should be left out of the top 20:

Tim Redding SP
Freddy Garcia SP
Cliff Floyd RF

Players who i feel could/should replace the Aforementioned:

Juan Cruz RP
Kenshin Kawakami SP
Trevor Hoffman RP

Rolling,

I'd consider taking out G. Anderson and Varitek and replacing them with Jr. Griffey and Edmonds.

C'mon, on a one- or two-year deal, would you rather have GA than Griffey or Edmonds?

Heyman stole my idea... and did a terrible job.

http://mspiciarich.blogspot.com/2008/12/mlbs-remaining-free-agents.html

I like DeRosa as much as any of you on here, but the fact remains the current group of Cubs couldn't get it done. Not only not get it done, but were unable to win a single playoff game in six tries! His leadership didn't help in the playoffs that's for sure. Fonty and Miles will provide more versatility than just DeRo cause of the aforementioned is left-handed and Miles is a switch-hitter. I agree DeRosa's value can't get any higher than last year, and he just so happened to play on the top offense in every catergory in the NL. I like this move and feel comfortable because ESPN doesn't.

I like the Bard signing,at least this guy doesn't strikeout nearly as much Varitek.
122K'S the past 2 seasons. Looked up Carlton Fisk's career he never had a season where he struck out over 100 times.

i dont understand why any cubs fan would want milton bradley. he had a fluke year last year and gets hurt too often to be worth any money from the cubs. has anyone noticed that adam dunn hits a homerun almost every time he plays at wrigley? he would hit 45 home runs in a cubbies uniform and drive in at least 100 runs....who cares if he sucks at defense? im going to miss derosa but peavy and dunn would make this team the best in baseball

yea,i more for dunn then bradley.but hendry does know what he is doing.and i believe the peavy or roberts trade is just waiting for the new owners approval.not that we have one yet,but that they are looking over the 2009 and 2010 payroll.

Plus, I bet you we can get Bradley for somewhere between 8 and 10 mil, and Dunn would cost IMO, 12-15.

"The problem here is really calling Miles good. He is below replacement level as a hitter, is only a mediocre fielder and isn't particularily fast. The fact he had a jump in BABIP one year to make his stats look respectable doesn't mean he is any good.

The Cubs likely get .675 OPS MI who isn't great with the glove, he is the 4th best MI on the team."

Miles is a good fit. No one is claiming the next anyone here. Not flashy, he just plays ball. They way Lou works, they all will get plenty of ABs no matter if Fonteno or Miles is considered the 'starter'.

"The Milton Bradley infatuation just bothers me. As a cub fan I have seen Adam Dunn rock some cubs pitchers with 7,000ft homeruns."

I don't think there is an infatuation for Bradley. He would fit the best with the talent/money the Cubs can get. I keep posting this and will continue to do so...all the available options Hendry can get will carry huge risks. Bradley is no exception. The talent and upside seems higher than the other options. Don't get me wrong. I like to watch Dunn hit those monster shots, too. I think he is a better fit elsewhere.