Cubs Sign B.J. Ryan

Saw that coming. Hope he turns it around. Also, hope it isn't for too much dough.

Headline: Cubs get BJ

I <3 BJs!

Come on, kids, let's put this in perspective. They didn't sign Ryan to help us out this year. They signed him (probably at or near league min) to rehab and see what he's got. Anyone who thinks that this is a "win now" move needs to take a lesson in Baseball 101.

anyone looking for a big move from the cubs deserves to be let down. it ain't gonna' happen. they have no money to take on big contracts.

this is a good move for them. it either gives them another lefty in the pen, or lets them slot marshall back into the rotation if harden continues to suck ass. for the league minimum it's worth a shot. waddell is still on the dl right?

How is this a bad move by the Cubs? They signed him at probably the league minimum. If he sucks they just release him. Marshall is back in the rotation, then who is out? Wells or Harden? Marshall wasnt to good when he was in the rotation earlier. He is a 5 inning pitcher. Why just leave Marshall in the pen were he done a pretty good job. The Cubs need a bat. How about Felipe Lopez to play second? Just a thought people.

Great signing by the Cubs, classic no risk, potentially high reward move. You can't go wrong with a move like this unless he's put in a position that he's not capable of at this point, like thrust into the closers role immediately or something similar (which isn't going to happen btw). So, nice job Jim Hendry.

I say they should take a look at him and give him a once or twice over medically to see why his fastball is slipping. If he's fixable use the time now to get him fixed and then pursue him for '10 as a potential closer. If he's able to contribute now as a LOOGY then fine, otherwise look at him as more of a project who's not expected to make an impact this season.

A change of scenery isnt going to help his batting practice 84-85mpg fastball or his slider that hitters can basically put the bat on their shoulder and watch because its normally about a foot out of the strike zone or more.

BJ is done, however I wish him the best with the Cubs because lord knows he wouldnt be the first ex-Jay the Cubs turned around. Reed Johnson has done much better things since ending up there.

How is this a bad move? You'll get your answer when you Lou puts him in a game and he walks the fist batter then refuses to get anybody out. Good luck, Cubs fans!

"It's hard to complain about signing the guy at the league minimum...

Posted by: 86 Mets | July 16, 2009 at 04:33 PM"

My fear still stands - Hendry, with his "name" obsession, when calling up the next replacement reliever from the minors is too tempted to pass up Ryan or Casey Fossum. I really, really fear at least one of the two will bite us in some way by seasons end. So while it might seem hard to complain, my heart has that chip on its shoulder.

"This move was definitely made as win now move. You don't sign a 33 year old broken down former closer hoping he is going to regain himself if you aren't trying to win now."

No it isnt. It isnt a "this helps us win now" move, which is what "win now" means. This is "hey, let's see what he has in him" move - its minor league depth which may eventually come in handy. All teams sign released players at all times, most dont see the bigs. I do think hendry is foolish enough to try and bring him up, but this isnt with the idea of winning in mind what so ever so cant be considered a "win now move"

bcaine: Dempsters spot. Hart will go to the minors again if ryan can ever find the majors again. Until then its HArt as the fifth starter and marshall is still the only lefty in the pen.

"is it really enough to push them near the top of the nl central with the cards though?"

Is a minor league signing enough to push them to the top of the Central? Gee, why dont you tell us. Do we get extra points for things produced in Iowa???

"this has to be a win-now situation for the cubs because with the state of their fans and their heartbreak, they shoudnt be taking on a former big name closer to "see" if they can work him back to his old form. they instead should be adding a big name bat to make up for a down year for soriano and an injury prone season aramis ramirez. is it really enough to push them near the top of the nl central with the cards though?"

And the Cubs have no payroll flexibility.

The other team would have to eat all the salary on the big bat for a move involving a big bat to happen. And that means other team will jack up the prospect price to make up for eating the salary.

No risk here really if he sucks so be it send him packing,as far as freddy i wouldn't be against him but don't know if he is obtainable for the cubbies and secondly fox has been so good why not move him to second we all know he can hit and has done a nice job with the move to 3rd in a such short time to adjust im sure he could handle second.

uhm... that came from every thread involving a trade candidate containing posts asking "what can the cubs do to get so & so, or the cubs should offer this..."

& uhm... what was "matt" asking? it wasn't just one person & the rant stemmed from multiple other threads. so maybe you "fail miserably". what kind of douchey internet comment is that anyway. are you a tween? step it up. i'm a cubs fan (after the bucs) but i'll be the first to admit that big market teams have lousey fans.

my rant is warranted by all the lame trade posts, or maybe you haven't been paying attention... that's "where the heck it came from"

You know what, I came back to say one more thing. Right now, could you be any farther off with your illogical rants anyway? I mean, every other post is filled with Dodger and Phllies fans at eachother throats over Halladay. Then one in 3 posts is riddled with Braves fans trying to figure out how to get Adrian Gonzalez from a GM not looking to move him. Meanwhile, Red Sox and Yankees fans are in their normal debates while the NY fans are swarming the site making sure they tell everyone over and over and over again what prospects they have and what they might be able to put together to get a bunch of players they claim they dont want. Then we have the Pirates fans bickering with all the Giants fans as the SF fans mention they would like to have Sanchez while Rat fans try to force them into believing they really should want LaRoche and wont take anything short of Alderson for a package of players the Giants never mentioned to begin with. And in the midst of all this, you decide to target Cubs fans??? Really? Honestly, sorry you have whatever issues you hold, but man are you off point.

I would be surprised if the Cubs bring in any big name players. They have way too much money tied up in big contracts right now. Essentially, they are stuck with what they have for the most part.

Kind of surprised the Cubbies did not take a look at Brandon Donnely when he got DFA'd and before the Fish signed him. His arm is finally sound after TJ surgery 2 years ago, his FB is back up to the 93-94MPH range, slider and changeup look decent so far and had a couple really clutch K's last night vs the Phillies on Ibanez and Werth in the 8th with 2 on.

Ryan has never gotten over his TJ surgery, maybe by next year, but will he be back then? His FB was 89mph or so late last year and has lost velocity this year, which would make you think that there may even be some other kind of arm problem as a possibility.

He is probably going to ruin te Cubs season. Curse of billy the goat still lives on.