The Cubs and outfielder Reed Johnson have agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, according to a team press release. This marks a return to Wrigley for Johnson, who spent the 2008 and '09 seasons with the Cubs before hooking on with the Dodgers last season.
Johnson was less-than-impressive in Dodger blue, turning in a slash line of .262/.291/.366 in 215 plate appearances. The 34-year-old has a career .748 OPS and a solid 4.6 UZR/150 in the outfield. Johnson is represented by WMG.
With Reed we can succeed! 🙂
Give Reed 1,100 dollars.
Should’ve signed Matt Murton.
should have kept Matt Murton in ’08 instead of signing Kosuke
I don’t know about a solid bat, but his defense if fun to watch and I’ve heard he’s a great clubhouse guy. A bunch of my Cubs friends jumped for joy seeing this.
Reed Johnson is hardly a “jump for joy” kind of guy, but yeah, I’d certainly like him to make the team.
That said, I’m not sure why he signed the deal. “Minor league deal” translates roughly into “easy decision not to make the team if there is any doubt” since you can stash him away in the minors, and even if he does make the team it would be as no better than a fifth outfielder behind Soriano, Byrd, Colvin, and Fukudome, and his primary competition in that scenario for any playing time would be another very strong defensive outfielder (at least in RF). That doesn’t sound like a situation that can’t be matched or beat by another organization.
True. But, I will say that Soriano isn’t exactly a beacon of health. Nor is he above a lot of late-inning defensive removals.
It’s not like the Cubs thought Johnson would play a ton when the first acquired him, and he turned into an important player on the 2008 team. (1.7 WAR as a reserve.) And then Lou didn’t play him at all in the NLDS. That was smart. Johnson and Lilly were easily two of the top 12 players on that team, and they didn’t see the field. Nice call.
He can play all 3 OF spots as well, with plus defense at all 3, if healthy. This is a solid signing, good risk/reward balance.
WOOHOO!! Now all we need to complete the ’08 team is to trade for Marquis and convince Blanco and Edmonds to unretire!
Blanco ain’t retired. He’s sleeping.
My bad. I thought for sure he had a month or so ago. Apparently he signed with the D’Backs around then. Is there a difference, anyway?
Not at all. Not at all, mate.
You forgot about Lee, Theriot, DeRosa, and Fontenot
Good for Reed. I sure hope he makes it back onto the team. He was fun to watch
I hope he’s bringing his unicorns with him.
Does this mark the end, and point to a trade, of Fukodome?
If the Cubs are planning on replacing Fukudome with Reed Johnson, they are a lot stupider than they look… which is pretty stupid. Go Cubs!
I think they plan to replace ‘Dome with Colvin, equal (maybe slightly less) defense, better with the stick.
that’s what she said.
Carlos!
Hello, good friend!
Carlos!
His replacement is Tyler Colvin.
I have a feeling that might be part of a deal for one of the surplus of starting pitchers. Say Gorzellany or Wells Fukudome for a low level pitching prospect and cash considerations.
I’d be thrilled with Wells & Fukudome for a few decent prospects and a salary dump.
Randy Wells, as bad as he looked a lot of times last year, was a 3.3 WAR (~$13MM) pitcher. Gorzellany was a 2.3 WAR (~$9MM) pitcher. Both are extremely cheap. Hell, even Fukudome was a 1.5 WAR player (worth about $5.5MM).
Even acknowledging that Fukudome is grossly overpaid for that production and it would drag down any potential deal somewhat, if we can’t do better than a low-level prospect for either one of those guys then I think it’s time for a change in the front office.
The cash considerations would be the star of that trade. Fukudome is due 13.5 MM. Getting a team to take all that off the books is like getting a decent prospect in return. That 13.5 could be put to use later in the season if all of the Cubs’ “ifs” pan out and they are competing at the trade deadline.
BlueCatuli can you tell me when that logo being used in your avatar is from decade wise ? I recently saw a throwback style cubs jersey with that logo and it was a sandberg jersey…..insert joke here……just curious since id never seen it before.
A Colvin/Johnson platoon would actually be a pretty nice upgrade on Fukudome, to these eyes.
i would rather see colvin get a full season not platoon kid has too much upside with the stick to platoon….fukudome+wells(possibly even fukudome+big Z if they can get the right team, yankees maybe) for mid level guys….
Zambrano isn’t going anywhere.
fukudome for swisher straight up. swisher platoons all over OF and some first base for pena. switch hitter good for clubhouse. thoughts ? pipe dream
huge pipe dream. simply because fukudome is proven he is nothing more than a part time/ 4th OF in the MLB. Yes his swing would be very nice at yankee stadium but i will say this unless zambrano or another pitcher was included or maybe colvin was included cashman would hang up faster than he took the phone call. Swisher has put up career years at yankee stadium and for once everyone fans, teammates, coaches, and mgmt all love him
More than likely this means that the Cubs will look to trade Byrd at the deadline if:
A. He is having another good season
and
B. The team is more than 7 or 8 games out
Say what!?!?!?!?
I do like the guy, he provides good energy, but it’s beyond me why am 5’10” tall 180lb guy can’t provide more base stealing speed on the basepaths. Or, take a pitch, since he is not a homerun hitter.
Well, he is neither a good baserunner nor a patient hitter. Mystery solved. It’s not like the guy doesn’t *want* to be a better player. He is a past-his-prime journeyman who struggles against RHP. If anything, they picked him up to platoon with Fukudome/Colvin.
Why? Really–can anyone come up with a good reason? Soriano, Byrd, Fukudome, Colvin, Perez, and now Johnson, with Brett Jackson in the minors… that is a hell of a crowd of mediocre to bad OFs! This team is rudderless, the franchise should be demoted to the International League, and the entire front office should be banned from baseball by Bud Selig for the good of the game.
I curse my father for indoctrinating me with an irrational love of this stupid, stupid team.
while I agree with questioning it from a numbers point of view, if we really can find a way to get rid of fukudome (at this point I would be all for plain releasing) then you’ve got perez and johnson to back up the other three and PH…not that bad of an scenerio if you ask me, and that keeps Jackson in the minors one more year to polish off..
I would def not declare them international league material for signing a quality bench guy on a minor league deal…
I agree, this isn’t a bad move. Johnson isn’t a star but he is a better bench player than Koyie Hill, and right now the only real competition for the 5th OF job is Fernando Perez, who is recovering from an injury and only hit .220 something at AAA last year.
It’s a minor league deal, I don’t see why people are getting worked up. Brett Jackson isn’t ready for the majors yet, and if he somehow hits 15 hr’s in spring training and makes the team then they just let Johnson go or send him to the minors.
I agree, this isn’t a bad move. Johnson isn’t a star but he is a better bench player than Koyie Hill, and right now the only real competition for the 5th OF job is Fernando Perez, who is recovering from an injury and only hit .220 something at AAA last year.
It’s a minor league deal, I don’t see why people are getting worked up. Brett Jackson isn’t ready for the majors yet, and if he somehow hits 15 hr’s in spring training and makes the team then they just let Johnson go or send him to the minors.
i would ban bud before i bad the cubs…remmebr it was not too long ago they were consistent favorites to win the central(and i mean real favorites not just favorites because cubs fans say they are)…and it was not too long ago that they won the worl….oh wait yeah it was…
Obviously, I was using hyperbole.
The reason this is a pointless move is that the Cubs are the fourth-best team in the NL Central and should be looking at moves that help the team in 2012-13. I agree that trading Fukudome would be great, but that move just allows them to play Colvin every day. The real guy they should trade is Marlon Byrd, as they might actually get a decent prospect or two for him (maybe a haul like the DeRosa trade).
I would like to see a Soriano-Jackson-Colvin OF on opening day, but that’s about as likely as…
You’re that work up about a minor league signing and an invite to sprain training for a back up outfielder?
My god, what is the average reading comprehension level on this site? I was using hyperbole to draw attention to the point that this move just doesn’t make much sense for a club in the Cubs’ position (not contending, crying poor, etc.).
It’s not that big a deal, but the Cubs have been making some odd decisions lately and posturing that they’re going to contend. If this is the first step in a Johnson/Fukudome platoon–and who knows whether it is–it is a bad move for the team because it means Colvin won’t play.
Colvin should beat out Fukudome…. Plus he got stabbed by a freaking bat last season. Who knows what will happen to him this season. If I were Hendry, I would put a lot of depth in our outfield seeing that 2 are injury prone, and the other is just unlucky. I have no problem with this move as long as Quade doesn’t fall in love with Fukudome because of his spring bat.
Do you think the Cubs might look to trade Marlon Byrd now and keep Fukodome since his contract is too high? Platoon Reed and Fukodome in CF for a year until Brett Jackson is ready and have Fernando Perez as a defensive replacement for Soriano. Any thoughts?
A team would have to take on 2 years of Byrd, making the contracts a lot closer. But, if a team had some budgetary squeezing to do, like some contracts coming off at the end of 2011, it might make more sense. I would much rather see Byrd go than Fukudome, but many probably won’t agree with me.
Why would you prefer that?
Because Fukudome has a higher OBP and it could open up a spot for someone (hopefully) with more speed in the outfield. And, if they move Fukudome, they will probably have to eat a lot of money, where they probably won’t have to do so with Byrd. I imagine they would go with Colvin in center if they moved Byrd, but I would love to see one of the younger speedy guys have a Colvinesque Spring Training and break onto the team as the CF. (or trade for an outfield or 2B speedster if one could be had, though they are slim)
Colvin would be awful in CF. Other than that, I appreciate your reasoning. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but you state your case well.
Colvin came up as a CF, so I think “awful” may be a bit of… hyperbole. But, yes, his future is probably in a corner or, more likely, as a fourth OF.
Colvin would be awful in CF. Other than that, I appreciate your reasoning. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but you state your case well.
The contracts aren’t even close if you think about it like this: you get TWO years of Byrd for the same price as one year of Fukudome, and they are both average-ish players. I’d like for both of them to go, but Byrd might actually get something back in return.
The contracts aren’t even close if you think about it like this: you get TWO years of Byrd for the same price as one year of Fukudome, and they are both average-ish players. I’d like for both of them to go, but Byrd might actually get something back in return.
anyone who watched fukudome in center before byrd got there would for sure say no to that…byrd is cheap while he might be the easier player to move it just wont make sense to improve the team….fukudome would be easy if the cubs took on some money to get better talent or simply packaged him with a pitcher he could easily be moved
I can’t believe he would accept a minor league deal when he could a major league job easily
Hit like accidentally. I doubt Johnson would’ve accepted a minor league deal if there were suitors to sign him to a major league deal.
I can’t believe he would accept a minor league deal when he could a major league job easily
Love ReJo! Should beat out Perez for the 5th OF spot. Bad news: When Brett Jackson comes up, he will be sent down. Unless they trade Fuku by then, or Jackson gets injured.
Fukudome will be a free agent after 2011 and Byrd after 2012. If Brett Jackson’s ready, he’ll have a chance to prove himself in a year.
ReJo should never be mentioned again….thats all Im saying.haha
You’re saying that Reed Johnson losing playing time to Brett Jackson would be a *bad* thing? What?
lol, you misunderstood. Bad news for HIM, I should have said. I love Brett Jackson.
You’re saying that Reed Johnson losing playing time to Brett Jackson would be a *bad* thing? What?
Love ReJo! Should beat out Perez for the 5th OF spot. Bad news: When Brett Jackson comes up, he will be sent down. Unless they trade Fuku by then, or Jackson gets injured.
Other than his time injured, he was adequate in LA for his job description. More reliable than Repko was, and as a bonus, Reed Johnson did not put any Dodger shortstops on the disabled list.
With Reed we succeed!!!!!!! IM SO HAPPY HES BACK!!!!!(anyone know were to get the shirt ted lilly had???)
He is one of my favorite player in baseball I hope he stays this time and is there a chance of SORE-KNEE -ano, or Fukodome being traded so he can stay. Yankees were ready for a trade (now that we got garza and reed) Big Z and SORE-KNEE -ano you want/need for money or prospects!
So will they trade Fukudome and Gorzo to Philly for Blanton???
UMM probly not the rich cant always get richer. and cubs have alot of potental sp
Why not the Phils take on Fukudome contract this year which allows us to pick up Blanton’s (who is cheaper contract-wise) and then we’re responsible thru 2012 for the remainder of Blanton’s deal. Problem is…we have to many sp. And one of our potential sp could always be put into the 5th starter role. Plus we would give a sp in the deal, maybe Gorzo, Coleman, or do I dare say, Grabow.
Phillies are way too lefthanded as it is! There is no way they want to add another lefthanded bat!
Don’t know if I totally believe in the L vs R matchup thing….but whatever. Well see how much they get out of Ibanez.
Gorzellany is a pretty much equal pitcher to Blanton for significantly less money. Moving Fukudome to take Blanton is pretty much a wash, and I doubt the Cubs are SO desperate to get rid of Fukudome that they pick up a player they don’t need or want and 2012 payroll obligation to do it. He’s grossly overpaid, but he does well as a defensive replacement and his contract is up after this year, in which the Cubs aren’t likely to be serious contenders anyway.
I’d love to see him traded, but this isn’t the way to go about it. And while I’m impartial to Gorzo staying or going, I think we can do better for him than Blanton and getting rid of Fukudome. Especially since, contractually-speaking, the Phillies are probably more desperate to get rid of Blanton’s salary than the Cubs are to get rid of Fukudome’s.
You’re correct on these points. Just don’t want to see Colvin not get his opportunity to play an entire season in RF. We need to evaluate him over the entire season to see if we need to sign a FA or trade for one in the OF in 2012. The only way we do this is trade Fukudome. Unfortunately, we almost have to give Fuku away to do this. Not for Blanton, but for someone.
On what planet are Gorzellany and Blanton equal? Blanton has essentially one more year in the bigs than Gorzellany, yet he has thrown almost 700 more innings, topping 190 every season except for last year while Gorzellany has done it exactly once, with a better ERA, better FIP, a far better xFIP, and a better WAR.
They are not equal. Blanton has been better, and it’s not close.
I think he was saying roughly equal in terms of 2011 outlook. And that’s certainly an argument one can make. Though obviously, as you pointed out, you can also argue Blanton’s track record makes that comparison unfair.
In any case, his larger points about how Blanton doesn’t fit into the Cubs’ plans this year, while they’re overstocked on starters, or next year, for which they seem to be prioritizing payroll flexibility, still hold up.
Probably not
I appreciate the humor, but there is no way the Yanks or any team takes Soriano. EVER. Zambrano, only if the Cubs pitch in some major cash and get nothing back in return. In all honesty, Cubs are better off keeping Zambrano and seeing if they can compete with him, Dempster, and Garza at the helm.
First off thanks for reconizing the hummor. Second I totaly agree nobody in there right mind would want him now. (there was potental trade talks in the past) 3rd I just wish he didnt have a big contract . I like the guy hes great but Money wise horriable! I would rather keep big Z to be in the rotaion along with Garza, Dempster, Gorzo, and Silva/Wells (with the other in long relif) Also Thanks for not Calling me stupid, i was just happy we got Reed back!!!
And this is why the Cubs signed Reed Johnson.
Hey im all for reed but Please DO NOT say Jackson will get ingured or alot of Cubs fans will be very upset!
Depth move, similar to signing Max Ramierz after the Garza trade.
Yep. No risk, high reward. Reward being he’s a veteran, right-handed bench outfielder who can play all three positions, and play them fairly well. (Personally, I think his diving catch of the ball in Washington in 2008 is one of the best plays I’ve ever seen.) And he’s a good character guy, which the Cubs can’t get enough of, and it’s been an obvious focus of Hendry and the organization since the Milton Bradley fiasco. The Cubs needed to sign someone like this, and they did it with a minor-league deal. I was thinking Austin Kearns since Hendry has always loved him, but that didn’t happen, and I’m happy this did. Quade obviously knows him too. There’s no real downside to this. On the off chance the Cubs do manage to compete, Reed Johnson is a nice piece to have on the roster.
Depth move, similar to signing Max Ramierz after the Garza trade.
Cubs should trade for Mark DeRosa, the clubhouse and fan favorite. Cubs get Mark DeRosa, Aaron Rowand, and 4MM cash for Fukudome? Here’s the Net Cost breakdowns both teams
BOTTOM LINE-Cubs add DeRosa, who, if healthy, is extremely valuable at 2b, 3b if ARAM gets hurt, and in the clubhouse, without adding payroll to 2011. They also add Rowand, who fits their needs more as a fourth OF than Fukudome. (more power, better D) Cubs do add a little more payroll to the 2012 payroll with Rowand on the hook for 12MM but remember DeRosa, who is owed 6MM is a free agent after 2011 so that makes partially balances it out.
BOTTOM LINE-Giants add a solid LH bat, LF platoon for Burrell, without adding any payroll to 2011. The Giants already have Freddy Sanchez as the starter at 2b. Additionally they will have extra money to spend during the 2011 offseason for 2012 season, money that will come in handy with Lincecum eligible for arbitration for the first time and with the likes of Buster Posey and Cody Ross likely due for big raises.
But Aaron Rowand would get no playing time because of Colvin and Reed Johnson’s defense abilities. I say trade FUKU to the Tigers for Guillen if you’re going to get Rowand.
fukudome is not going to get any playing time either, and trading rowand makes this trade attractive to the giants. Additionally, most Tiger fans and the Tigers would rather have Guillen over Fukudome. Guillen is Venezuelan, like half the clubhouse, and good friends with the majority of the team. The Tigers and most of their fans expect a rebound season from him this year, as do I. I’d rather have someone like Guillen who can play IF and OF and is friends in the clubhouse than Fukudome
Guillen’s not gonna get playing time. The deal makes sense because it allows Raburn to be a super-sub like DeRosa. It allows Fukudome to be a much better defensive RF than Ordonez. Ordonez would be the regular DH and Boesch would play LF. Plus because Guillen’s a switch-hitter you play him with DeWitt at 2b. I agree with the post below-as far as Rowand goes in any deal, I’m hanging uo the phone if I’m the Cubs. A Fukudome for DeRo swap–the Cubs eat money, which the Ricketts don’t want to do. A Fuku for Guillen–no eating of any money.
Couple problems with that. Guillen is a clubhouse favorite in Detroit and Guillen is going to get some decent playing time this season, especially if Sizemore doesn’t step up this season at 2b. Dave Dombrowski has said he wants to give Raburn a full shot in LF. Additionally, VMart is going to be the regular DH, catching 2-3 times a week at most and Carlos will DH on the days VMArt catches
well yeah. But from the Cubs standpoint keeping Fuku around is impractical because it takes playing time away from Colvin.
I agree, keeping Fukudome around is extremely impractical. Thats why if I were Jim Hendry, I would rather be overpaying the RH Aaron Rowand not to play this season for an extra year than pay Fukudome for just this season to not pay The Cubs could use Rowand in 2012. Cubs have plenty of money already off the books after 2011; they could afford Rowand for 2012 and still make a splash that offseason. The OF and 1b market are extremely weak next offseason (assuming AGon and Pujols get extended), Prince Fielder is far too risky of a signing to play 1b, given the Cubs current long-term mistakes (Soriano, Zambrano). Why not make this trade, move Colvin to 1b in 2012 if he pans out this season, and play Rowand in RF in 2012 (contract year)? The IF market is loaded next offseason though. They could focus on signing power hitters/quality hitters for the IF, like Jose Bautista, Rickie Weeks, Jimmy Rollins/Jose Reyes,(moving castro to 2b), ARam.
Just wish Rowand could play in the infield.
As a Cubs fan I wouldn’t mind a Fukudome for DeRosa swap, actually, even if we had to throw some cash the Giants’ way to make it happen. I don’t know a ton about their needs; would they be interested in that at all?
As far as Rowand, if he’s part of the deal for the Cubs I’d probably hang up the phone. The last thing the franchise needs right now is new 2012 payroll obligations for mediocre players not worth their price tag. We’re finally starting to get out from some of these contracts starting after the 2011 season and adding more would make me cry.
Thats just it jb, the Giants don’t really have many needs. Maybe a utility IF to replace Uribe/Renteria, but thats about it; they did already sign Tejada. DeRosa arguably already is that player but he is a bit expensive at 6MM to not be an everyday player. However, they do want to shed some payroll beyond this season because they have to renegotiate a contracts with both Lincecum after 2011 and Cain after 2012. Additionally, the Giants right now have a surplus of OFs, with Cody Ross, Torres, and Burrell, DeRosa, and Rowand, and with Brandon Belt moving up the chain very quickly, Huff might need to play there in 2012. So moving Rowand and DeRosa might be what makes this deal really attractive to the Giants. Cubs would probably be able to deal Rowand after this season with one year left on his deal, or just bite the bullet and keep him for one more season, play him in RF, and move Colvin over to 1b or vice versae. They have alot of money off the books after the 2011 season anyway. ARAM, Pena, Silva, Kerry Wood, John Grabow, and even possibly Dempster.
With a healthy DeRosa and Soto, the Cubs would have some serious power in their lineup, with every player outside of Castro (this season) capable of hitting 20+ bombs this season.
SS Castro
RF Colvin
3b/CF ARam/Byrd
1b Pena
3b/CF ARam/Byrd
C Soto
LF Soriano
2b DeRosa
P
That is a very solid lineup healthy.
Very perceptive of you.
I think the Giants will keep DeRosa because they paid serious $ for him and he is yet to play or produce. He went down early, and missed 5 months.
The Giants need someone to push Kung-fu Panda to keep his fat -ss focused.
The Giants signed Burrell for a lousy 1 million bucks, just because he’s a Bay Area native, and wanted to stay in his home region.
I think the Giants will pass on a $14Mil backup OF.
The main benefit for the Giants of this would obviously be moving Rowand’s 2012 contract, not necessarily getting Fukudome, as he’s not an upgrade over Burrell, but a decent platoon partner and would be one of their only LH OF bats. The main benefit for the Cubs would obviously be getting DeRosa at 2b and in the clubhouse. They would basically postpone the financial flexibility they would receive from Fukudome’s expiring contract until after 2012. However, that is a good point you made about the Giants wanting to keep DeRosa in order to keep the Panda and Freddy Sanchez motivated. Though I have heard that Panda is 15 pounds lighter right now. But those types of “rumors” come out every year.
The thing about Burrell is that he actually hit extremely well last season in his ABs and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get the job in LF, despite his playoff struggles.
WOW—#1…….reed hits RH so better platoon than fukunuts for colvin.
#2……..if someone gets hurt this is a good back-up plus a bat off the bench.
#3…….if fukunuts gets traded during the season, good 4th OF.
#4if jackson is hitting .320 at Iowa ; they’ll make room……..trade fukunuts or release reed………..but let’s have jackson prove it first…………remember felix pie……..he of the .300 minor league avg.
a prospect is only a prospect till they become starlin castro and prove it.
I think the idea here is replacing Fuld with Johnson, decent move minors contract cant lose much with this signing
Lots of posts by happy people for a guy who had a .291 OBP last year and an OPS barely north of .650.
Reed Johnson is a regressing player who is past his prime and who looks to have next to nothing left. Congrats Cub fans. As a Brewer fan, I sure hope that he does make your team.
Dang Brewer fan…This should excite you though as he has a career .159 avg vs the Brew Crew.
Johnson was a fan favorite those 2 seasons. He is a great fielder and a great pinch hitter. The Cubs have gone very conservatives on playing time resting players once a week. Soriano is injury prone and Fukudome (who may be moved) can’t bat vs lefties. I would say Soriano, Colvin and BYrd, with Fukudome as fill-in vs righties and Johnson vs lefties. Also, in 264 abs at Wrigley he’s got a solid .292 avg. That doesn’t hurt anything either. This is about signing a fill-in OF/pinch hitter to play vs lefties. Dang good signing considering in 1019 at bats he is batting .312 vs lefties! Now, Cubs need a 3b/1b to cover for Aramis when he is injured, and Pena when slumping. Also a decent 2nd baseman in case the Dewitt experiment back fires. Johnson signing gets an A from me.
Very solid move on a minor league deal. Good right handed option off the bench if they deal Kosuke and Perez stays at AAA.
As far as Kosuke goes unfortunatly i think we are stuck with him cause there are really no good landing spots for him without eating over half of the money owed which isnt a very attractive option for the front office.
If they can agree on money LA might be a spot where he fits. Perhaps Kosuke and 7M or so for Carlos Monasterios or John Ely.
The Cubs wouldnt be getting anyone who would make an impact but that wouldnt be the reason for the trade. They would clear our 4-5M and get a AAA depth pitcher and LA would get a LF who provides pretty good defense even though he is pretty average or below offensively.
Very solid move on a minor league deal. Good right handed option off the bench if they deal Kosuke and Perez stays at AAA.
As far as Kosuke goes unfortunatly i think we are stuck with him cause there are really no good landing spots for him without eating over half of the money owed which isnt a very attractive option for the front office.
If they can agree on money LA might be a spot where he fits. Perhaps Kosuke and 7M or so for Carlos Monasterios or John Ely.
The Cubs wouldnt be getting anyone who would make an impact but that wouldnt be the reason for the trade. They would clear our 4-5M and get a AAA depth pitcher and LA would get a LF who provides pretty good defense even though he is pretty average or below offensively.
Cubs are not trading Randy Wells. He had one bad year in a 2 year career. SLIDE OFF.
Dempster
Garza
Zambano
Wells/ Gorzelanny
Silva/ Cashner
With
Jay Jackson
Chris Carpenter
Trey McNutt
Casey Coleman
in the running
If the Cubs don’t explore the option (any option) of trading Fuku, they’re making a big mistake. This team is about looking ahead to 2012. So, with that in mind they have to see what the have in Colvin for a full season. How will they know if they need another OF via FA or a trade for 2012? This influences decisions like acquiring Fielder at 1b because they also will have holes to fill a 3b, possibly 2b depending on DeWitt, and maybe even at SP. The less holes you know you have going into a season, they more prepared you can be to sign FAs. And Colvin would be a cheaper, less costly option at RF.
why dont they make a trade for sizemore from celevland
why dont they make a trade for sizemore from celevland
Just don’t know how many more years after 2011 they would have to pay for a guy who’s been injured so much.
Hopefully he gets the job and ends up being the 4th OFer.. he did nothing but good when on the Cubs.. all hustle all heart… made the play of the year in 2008 i believe it was..
They failed to mention that those 215 at-bats were largely pinch hits. That’s a specialty skill which is unconnected to the day-to-day hitting a regular player sees. Reed deserved much better than to play second fiddle to guys like Juan Pierre.