With the caveat that free agent destinations are difficult to predict in August, Adam Dunn and the Cubs are an agreeable match. The Cubs badly need a left-handed power bat at first base, and Dunn is a fan of Wrigley Field and Cubs GM Jim Hendry, based on comments he made to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. ESPN's Buster Olney guesses that a four-year offer from the Cubs would seal the deal. The Cubs currently project to have the sixth overall pick in the 2011 draft, which will be protected if they sign a Type A free agent who turned down an arbitration offer.
Dunn twice mentioned his ongoing contract talks with the Nationals in his conversation with Wittenmyer. How likely is an extension? According to MASN's Ben Goessling, team sources "are skeptical that the Nationals will re-sign the first baseman before he hits free agency." What's more, one Nationals source says the team's braintrust "loves" Carlos Pena. Pena has slumped to a .213/.338/.439 line in 2010, but he won't require a four-year deal. As a Scott Boras client, I wonder if Pena prefers a one-year pact.
Good lord I hope so.
same here.who else do the cubbies have to play first base.micah hoppauir hasnt been to good with the stick.these guys can still compete in my opinion no need to go into rebuild mode like some have suggested.good bounceback by soriano this year
You know who also is a fan of Jim Hendry- every worthless member on that team with bloated contracts (Soriano, Fukudome Zambrano) – who doesn’t like money for nothing? ( BTW Tim, your pro Cubs bias is showing)
I like money.
I don’t see the bias — he wrote an article about the Cubs and a free agent. It’s not like there’s a whole lot of other stuff to talk about involving that team.
Yes, Tim. Don’t ever write anything about the Cubs again. It’s soooo biased. Never mind that you write about every other major league team too and that this is a very objective article.
Anyone know if there’s any good left handed power hitting outfielders getting ready to hit free agency? If the cubs like how Colvin handles first base makes me wonder if we’ll be looking for help there instead. Also I wonder if we would be better served to fill some of our vacancies thru trade instead. It would be nice if we got some1 we could finally call an ace.
Just think what Crawford would do in a Cubbies uniform
Not end 100+ years of turmoil
I agree! I would love to see Crawford sign. He is going to command some years and dollars that I think they are not going to be willing to commit right now. I still say we need an ace to match up with other teams. I’m tired of seeing matchups like Dempster/Carpenter or Halladay/Gorzellany. Don’t get me wrong, our starters do keep us in games, but we still need a pitcher that is going to just shut another team down on any given day.
If the cubs sign Dunn, thats just them picking up another former National (Soriano). As renowned as Carlos Pena is, i would prefer the NAtionals keep Dunn in DC on a 3 year deal until Marerro (thier future 1B) is ready. Plus, if they dont re-sign dunn, thats less protection for Willingham and Zimm and less production from the middle 3, even with Pena.
How to Pena and Dunn compare in WAR and such?
Pena- 07- 5.3 War, 08 -2.9 War, 09- 1.8 War, 10 – 1.4 War
Dunn- 07- 1.7 War, 08- .4 War, 09- 0.9 War, 10 – 2.9 War
Moon you have to take in consideration that Dunn played the worst defense in the OF every year. Hence his War being so bad. Had he stayed in right field he probably would have destroyed Pena War wise.
Counting on Marrero as the future really isn’t the move. I think part of the reason they were willing to go with 2 years for Dunn before is because they thought Marrero might be ready. He’s rocking an OPS around .790 or so in AA. He needs to show he can make a significant jump at AAA Syracuse before we get close to counting on him. Frustrating. Tyler Moore is showing the power without the contact at high A Potomac. Marrero is showing more contact with worse power and defense at AA.
Marrero has no future in Major League baseball. Certainly not one at 1b.
I think Dunn would be a nice DH in Detroit
i would like to see him dh in detroit but i think he said he doesnt want to dh
Pena will rake in the NL.
From a defensive perspective, is Dunn really who you want at first with a young middle infield.. Especially Castro.
My money is on a more team friendly DLee contract.
.. Maybe the other poster was kidding, but as a cards fan, I see no bias here
Cue the hendry 7yr/140mil jokes…
What kind of contract do you think Dunn would get?
He currently makes $12M/year so I’m going to guess 3-4 years $15M/year.
No Thanks. Signing Dunn would perpetuate the Cubs problem. Dunn is a one dimensional player. Yes the Cubs need power, but they need to focus speed, defense and pitching. They lead the majors with 102 errors and have given up 82 unearned runs. By contrast teams like the Twins, Yankees, Reds, and Padres have almost 50% fewer errors and between 20 and 32 unearned runs. The Cubs are all or nothing, just like Dunn.
I agree with the thought that a team needs to focus on the defensive side of the diamond as well as the offense, but I disagree on the speed claims. The ’08 team paced the league, and the only players with double-digit steals were Theriot, Soriano, and Fukudome, with Theriot having the most with 22. That’s not exactly the 1985 Cardinals. What that team did do, however, was hit for a lot of power–the only regular that didn’t have double-digit HR was Theriot. The only regulars with sub-.450 SLG were Theriot and Fukudome. Plus, the error-fest in the playoffs aside, that team could field. They weren’t flashy, but they made all the plays they were expected to make, and if you’re scoring 8 runs a game that’s usually good enough. I think 4 years of Adam Dunn at 1b would be perfect for the Cubs. In fact, I think they should have signed him to a 4-year deal two years ago when he was a free agent and stuck him in RF. Yeah, that would have been a defensive mess, but there’s no way they don’t make the playoffs in ’09 with Dunn instead of Bradley in right.
Yes, the team needs to fix the defense. But Castro is going to get better with age, I think DeWitt looks better than either Theriot or Fontenot did at 2b, and if Aramis can get back to where he was pre-shoulder injury he can be a good enough fielder, and, in 2008, a great fielder. (NOTE: I think this is mostly a pipe dream, but stick with me here). In the OF Byrd is never going to win a GG, but he’s got a motor. Colvin looks slick out there, and I think if you left him in RF he’d be an above-average fielder. And, of course, you have Soriano, who always looks like he’s herding cats in LF. To be honest, I think they might be better off putting Soriano at the slow-pitch softball “floater” position and playing Byrd and Colvin in the gaps.
Your 2008 example is precisely why they need to focus on speed/defense/starting pitching. My point about speed is when you get into the playoffs, good pitching is going to neutralize power. If you’ve got speed at the top of the lineup that can get on base at a .350-.390 clip your going to put pressure on good pitching in the form of an added distraction. The pitcher is likely going to have to make a quicker slide step, decreasing his effectiveness.
I really like DeWitt, but I would be looking for a 2B that could lead off and steal 30+ bases. The only other option is LF and we all know Soriano and his contract aren’t going anywhere.
“Dunn is a fan of Cubs GM Jim Hendry” That’s something I haven’t read before. Just saying…
I’d be happy with Dunn. He has an OBP .354 and his OPS is .902. Those are solid numbers. I think those numbers speak louder about his offense than his K’s or his average. He provides power but also hits for doubles. With all the rumors with him linked to the Sox there was plenty of talk on the radios about him. And from what I heard there was concern from the fans about him “clogging the base paths”. Thats just not true. He is not the fastest guy in the world but he certainly isn’t a dumb base runner. Frankly, I’d rather have him “clogging the bases” than watch Cubbies with struggling to even get on base. He’ll draw more walks out of 1B than we’ve seen in a while as well.
As far as defense goes:
Pena: .994 Fld%, 5 errors, Rtot 0, 109 Games
Lee: .993 fld%, 6 errors, Rtot 5, 109 games
Dunn: .993 fld%, 7 errors, Rtot -2, 119 games
From those stats alone I don’t see a drop off in defense significantly enough to not want Dunn on the Cubs
Those are good numbers. Dunn would fit perfect and as your numbers show, his defense is not going to kill the team.
I think what some people were saying about Dunn’s defense in comparison to Lee’s is on throws to 1st. Lee was awesome at catching bad throws. Im not sure how well Dunn does on bad throws, because I dont think I have seen him play 1st base.
He’s great if they’re high, ‘cuz, ya’know, he’s like 8 feet tall.
The problem with this isn’t Dunn…he’s a good player and would work nicely for the Cubs at first base. It’s the fact that it’s going to take 4yrs/$15MM to sign him. The Cubs cannot afford to be paying long term deals like that to aging vets anymore. Dunn won’t be worth $15MM when he turns 35.
I’d rather go for Pena for a year or two, then look for a replacement either internally or via a trade.
Agreed. The Cubs have enough bad contracts that it doesn’t make sense to be making a deal like this, especially with a guy who could conceivably break down before the contract is over.
The real problem with the Cubs signing Dunn is they are going to suck for the next four years, no matter what they do. They are saddled with several massive, idiotic contracts and they don’t have a lot of young talent on the horizon. Hendry doesn’t understand the word build. Only the word spend. And that is no way to put together a contending team.
Boy, Dunn playing 81 games in the windy city is scary.
The Cubs do not need another bad contract, and they are rebuilding with kids. Signing an expensive free agent who plays bad defense and can’t run makes little sense. If I’m Ricketts and Hendry comes to get my permission on this deal I fire him on the spot.
The Cubs are a large-market team and can afford to rebuild with kids and free agents. Colvin is not a long-term solution at first base, and the Cubs can afford to pay Dunn with Lilly and Lee off the books and still have money left over.
The contracts that really make Hendry look stupid are the crappy multi-year deals he hands out to mediocre relievers (see Grabow).
Agree on the Cubs being a large-market team that can afford to to both. Let’s say after arbitration raises, the Cubs have $25M to spend this offseason on 1B and a SP as I think we can all agree you don’t want to count on Dempster, Silva, Wells, Gorz and a rookie as your starting 5(I’m assuming Z is a salary dump). Do you spend $15M on Dunn and $10M on SP who’s likely to be in the Ted Lilly, Vincent Padilla, Javier Vazquez ability level meaning your counting on Dempster to be your ace? Or do you target Cliff Lee with $18M and look at a 1 year offer for an aging/under the radar 1B in the $7M range.
With Pujols, Gonzalez and Fielder eligible for free agency after 2011, I would hate commit $60M/4years to Dunn when the decision of 3 better options(maybe two as I’m not a fan of Fielder) are still out there.
While I think the Cards will resign Pujols and the Red Sox will likely get Gonzalez, you never really know. If the Red Sox decided they were going to spend whatever it took to get Pujols, then things could get very interesting.
I’d hate to pass on Dunn and then end up not getting one of the others the following offseason. If you’re able to add an impact bat like Dunn’s at a position of need that happens to be the easiest to play on the defensive spectrum, you need to pull the trigger.
I’d rather spend the money on a #1 SP. The Cubs won’t get Pujols, but other than the Red Sox, who’s going to outbid them in free agency for Gonzalez/Fielder.
I believe the Yanks have shown interest in Fielder as a DH. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Dodgers go after a first baseman next year either. Loney’s not exactly a superstar for them. A lot can happen between now and next offseason.
As a Cub fan I would not like this move. My main reasoning is that the Cubs already have some unmovable contracts and this would just add to it. I love the idea that we are moving in a younger direction and signing Dunn would just be another road block for the younger guys. I have been pushing for Colvin at 1B for a few months now, and I hope that becomes the ultimate move. This opens up RF for Fukudome to finish out his contract (if not moved) and then a spot for Brett Jackson to come bring his speed to the lead off spot.
wow dunn and rameriz on the same team..that would have to be the single worst defensive team in the bigs then…
Jays will send Encarnacion to shore things up
nationals made a mistake and I rooted for that mistake. They should have traded Dunn and get prospects for him like d Hudson, etc. a deal with him seems unlikely as time passes. lately he has been proving that he could be a bad sign given his defense, streaky offense, and below avg numbers with runners on. but then again, what other choice does nationals have? carlos pena? cantu is another option I guess.
I’d love to see Dunn wear Cubbie Blue, but the time for signing guys in their 30’s to long expensive deals is over. If we didn’t have Soriano, Zambrano, or Fukudome on the books still I’d say go for it, but how much money is tied into those three alone? Soriano and Zambrano still have 5 or so years on their contracts.
Soriano has 4 years, Zambrano only 2 years left.
Wow, time really does fly. It doesn’t seem like that long ago when Z signed that contract. Well then seeing as how I was mistaken on the lengths of Z’s contract, and how Fukudome has just one year left on his deal, then it might not be a bad move. Lots of money will be off the books after 11 with A-Ram departing as well. I figured the Cubs were in a rebuilding mode, but the question to answer is can they field a good team behind Dunn, Castro, Colvin, and Byrd then the Cubs should sign him.
Would Brad Hawpe even be considered an option for 1st base? Im not sure of his status at the end of the season. I thought he played some 1st base for the Rockies. Thought he may be another option outside of Pena and Dunn to think about.
Adam Laroche could be looked at…. or why not play Colvin at first and get Carl Crawford. Although Dunn hitting onto the Sheffield rooftops every day would be a lot of fun to watch.
Because Colvin isn’t a good enough hitter for first base. Take away his hot April/May start and he’s barely hit enough to play CF.
Trade him in the offseason while he’s got value. He’s got zero strike zone judgement. If the Rays are really looking to deal Garza, I’d package Colvin with something else to get Garza.
How about Vitters moving to 1B? I haven’t seen or heard anything about him in awhile.
That is because he hasn’t done much in the minors.
Braves are gonna resign yals former 1st baseman Lee
i don’t want dunn. such a defensive liability at first. i think move colvin to first, sign crawford this offseason to play right. sign ted lilly for 2 years or another SP. then sit tight and wait for the 2012 offseason and pick up a first baseman, middle infielder, third base, and some starting pitching. fukudome, silva, ramirez, samardzija will more than likely be off the books. i may be crazy but i think 2012 should be a good year on the northside.