11:52pm: The deal is close, a source tells Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com, and it includes the Cubs receiving two minor leaguers along with Wood. Rosenthal and Morosi say the trade discussions are in the advanced stages.
9:12pm: The Reds and Cubs are discussing a trade that would involve starter Travis Wood going to Chicago in exchange for reliever Sean Marshall, Major League sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. It's not known whether other players would be included in the potential swap, according to the report.
After acquiring Mat Latos in a trade with the Padres last week, Reds GM Walt Jocketty suggested he'd like to focus on bolstering his bullpen. Cincinnati is without a nominal closer as of now – incumbent Francisco Cordero remains on the free agent market - so perhaps Marshall, who has settled in as an effective late-inning reliever for the Cubs the past couple seasons, could man that role for the Reds.
Wood, meanwhile, is a player Cubs president Theo Epstein liked last season when Epstein was still with the Red Sox, the sources tell FOXSports. In just about one full season of work – 35 starts, 208 innings over two seasons – at the Major League level, Wood has posted 6.99 K/9, 2.85 BB/9 and a tendency to produce fly balls (31.4% GB rate).
Despite being only 24 and under team control for five more years, Wood has perhaps become expendable with the Reds now having six other starters in Latos, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey, Bronson Arroyo and Aroldis Chapman.
Marshall will earn $3.1MM in 2012 and is slated to become a free agent at season's end. He'll turn 30 in August.
do i care?
You must care just a little if you took the time to comment on this post. haha
I’ve scanned the entire first page of comments and I didn’t see a single joke about the Reds and Cubs swapping Wood. I guess the holidays have everyone in a serious mood.
Nobody really cares if you care.
You’re such a rebel, Taylor.
Well Wood is mediocre and Marshall plays for the sad sad Cubs. Do I need to say more?
I wonder what you thought of the Badenhop for Jefferies swap then..
We would prefer that you didn’t
You probably shouldn’t say anything at all.
I think you’ve said enough.
Says the guy who congratulated Matt Antonelli for being signed……..mediocre much?
John, who is the girl in your pic?
You were almost funny….almost. Although you should probably be brave enough to show your picture before you try to rag on somebody else.
Putting a picture of yourself on here is not “brave.” That is an unnecessary risk which proves nothing. I don’t particularly want people on here, whom I’ve never met, to know who I am, or what I look like.
that isn’t a picture of you? fraud
i’m the guy on the left
I’m not really sure why it matters. Gives easy ammunition to people who you then learn to disregard any other comments. You afraid of identity theft?
it’s not that he’s not brave it’s just that most pics of his namesake probably wouldn’t be allowed
Well I think this was a great deal for the Cubs. They get a very young No. 5 starter for the next several years. They give up an excellent set-up man, but one who becomes a free agent in a single year.
This is an awful trade for the Reds. Almost laughable, I’m sure this won’t go through. 5 years of Wood, 2 minor league players, for a set up man and 1 more year? Not to mention the Reds take on 3 Million dollars when they can have Wood for league minimum until 2014? The Reds should go sign Mike Gonzalez for the same amount of money and keep Wood. Bill Bray has done excellent for the Reds, and unless he’s being offered the closer’s job then he can also be our left handed set up man. This makes no sense at all, something is not right. There has to be more too this, or a 3rd team involved or something.
You obviously don’t know baseball. If this trade was done straight up, it would be a bad trade for the cubs. Ever hear of signing an extension? You are putting to much into team control. Marshall is more valuable to a team than wood.
LOL. Team control is very important when discussing trades. It is a bad deal for the Reds because there are plenty of options out there on Free Agency that can be had at a similar or cheaper price. This way, the Reds get to keep Wood, and the other 2 players. Marshall is very good, but I’m not giving a young starting pitcher (was a hair away from a perfect game against the Phillies on his first major league start, followed by an 8 inning start right after) to a Rival team plus 2 minor leaguers for a guy we hold on to for only a year. Bray can and has gotten the job done. Reds should go out and sign Gonzalez, Rodney, or MacDougal before making this trade.
The Reds would not sign Marshall to an extension because then they would get 1, maybe 2 draft picks for letting him walk. Maybe, that’s why the Reds are looking to make this trade. But this rumor still doesn’t add up right. Reds will be left rushing Corcino or Chapman (before he’s ready to start) if anybody gets hurt.
If I were the Cubs, I’d hold on to Marshall as well, just for the picks. They have an awful farm system.
Under the new CBA, you have to offer arb to get draft picks, and offering arb means potentially paying a 1 year salary equal to the average of the top 120 players in the game, which is 12 million this year. There is absolutely no way the Cubs would ever offer arbitration to Marshall if the price was 12 million for 1 year. Therefore, the Cubs will not get any draft picks for letting Marshall walk next year.
Wood’s MLB debut was against the Cubs on July 1, 2010…but yea…not a fan of this deal…at all!
You beat me to the correction. People always think it was his first start. it was like his 6th start if i remember right.
I feel like the Cubs could get a better return for Marshall, especially from a division rival. Maybe I’m wrong.
why would you be able to get more of a return from a division rival?
Because it should cost the team wanting Marshall more to convince the Cubs to trade him in-division. Very common thing.
Absolutely, Marshall is possibly the best lefty reliever in baseball right now…
as a cubs fan i say Top 2 because J.Venters gives him a run for his money.
edit: spelling error
Johnny Venters says hi
Edit: Someone beat me to it.
He said possibly. But Venters is better no doubt.
i prefer venters, but there’s plenty of room for doubt. marshall has venters beat by 20% in FIP over the last 2 years and has a better SIERA too
venters is a guy who breaks the mold, though, with a combination of 10 K/9 stuff and a 70% groundball rate. just stupid good peripherals
still, marshall is elite and i’d be aiming higher than travis wood
Maybe I just think that because I see him make Utley and Howard silly close to 18 times a year and have nightmares of facing him and Kimbrel.
I agree, it’s not the slam dunk I made it out to be.
Maybe package him for a gio Gonzalez, but definitely not Travis Wood. Theo and Jed are not dumb enough to trade Marshall straight up for wood.
I’ll take the guy with a similar K rate, half the BB rate, and a lower HR rate… Venters is a great reliever, but he’s still not as good as Marshall IMO. Look at Marshall’s 2011, he’s dominant, and that’s with an unlucky BABIP of .313.
venters breaks the mold, though. he strikes out 10 per 9 while getting a 70% groundball rate. you worry way less about the walks when there’s a 3 in 4 chance any ball in play will be a DP opportunity
the two have nearly identical HR rates over the past 2 seasons. venters actually gives up less hard contact (14% line-drive rate to 20% for marshall) while striking out just as many and, again, making just about everybody else hit the ball on the ground
they are also tied in total meltdowns despite venters pitching in more games and having 12 more shutdowns
lol 70%
Don’t forget that Marshall was on a much worse team than Venters last season. Just sayin’.
.313 for a BABIP isn’t really unlucky. The whole Cubs staff had a .307 BABIP.
More to do with an awful defense than anything.
Well to be honest he won’t have to worry about a bad defense in Cincy.
Can’t we (the Phillies) do Kendrick for Marshall instead? haha
Don’t do it Cubs! Not a sound return at all in my opinion.
Pass.
Again, these are just rumors and all but Wood for Marshall?? Come on!! Marshall’s worth more than just a pitcher. Theo would be stupid by trading one of our best relievers also one of the best last two years.
STUPID MOVE CUBS
This does not sound good for the Cubs.
What ever does?
Good point
“jim hendry has been fired”
Again, this is just a rumor and all but Wood for Marshall?? Come on, that’s a joke. Marshall’s worth more than just an ok pitcher. Theo would be dumb by trading one of the best left-handed relievers last two years, come on Theo. Not buying this at all, this got to be a joke.
Buddy- Wood is a prize. Marshall is excellent- given- but one year vs 4 is steal for the cubs.
1.8-WAR, 33-year-old Mike Adams brought the Padres Erlin and Weiland for only half a season of use. Why wouldn’t 2.8-WAR, 28-year-old Sean Marshall be worth at least one player with the ceiling of either guy?
Reference: Sickels rated both Erlin and Weiland as B+ prospects, #4 and #5 in the SD farm (forget who was #4 and who was #5). Wood was rated as a C+ prospect Sickels said was likely a #4/5, and just put up a 4.61 xFIP and 4.00+ FIP.
Oh, and Wood had a 1.1 WAR.
Adams was not a half season of use; he is still under team control for this year.
But yes, I would be disappointed if the trade was Marshall for Wood straight up.
You are talking like they couldn’t sign him to an extension.
Ugh. Let’s throw in Garza fr Paul Janish while we’re at it.
We’ll take it!
NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!! KEEP MARSHALL!!!!! TRADE MARMOL, JUST KEEP MARSHALL!
Come on Theo you gotta have some players that people like so they will go to games!
Many will disagree with me on this but I think Marmol will have a bounce back next year, I still like Marmol despite having the worst season of his career. TRADE JAMES RUSSELL!!
very true, but 2 things who would u rather see gone, if you had to trade one. Marshall or marmol? you know how i feel.
and 2 i feel that wood and Russell are almost the same player. except wood has more starting experience.
Who would I trade Marshall or Marmol? I like both but as i said I just feel Marmol will have a bounce back and be the Marmol of 10′ next year BUT if he struggles then MAYBE cubs should consider trading him during trade deadline.
Russell is a GREAT lefty specialist, I know a glance at his season stats look ugly, but look at his splits from the time he spent in the pen, and he’s marshall II. and it’s not dumb luck, russell has a really nice slider, that works great against lefties. he’s just not suitable for starting.
The Cubs were a top ten team in attendance last season despite being completely awful. They had better attendance figures than four of last year’s playoff teams (Rays, Rangers, D’backs and Tigers) and were within spitting distance of two more (Brewers and Cards).
As long as Wrigley is still standing, people will still go to Cubs games, regardless of who they put on the field. Epstein absolutely should go into full fledged rebuild mode as he’s in the unique position of not having to worry about keeping up attendance through a quick rebuild like most other teams. He could basically gut the system without hurting the bottom line.
Whether one thinks this is a good or bad deal for Marshall is another matter entirely, but Marshall is the first guy they SHOULD trade. He’s one of their two best players, but there’s no way they’ll be competitive by the time he’s a free agent. Garza’s at least got an outside shot of being around (Far outside and I’d absolutely trade him too, but there is an admitted outside shot).
no way this is true, no way the Cubs trade Marshall to the Reds for nothing pretty much. No way this happens
Nothing? Do research before you post.
you know what i mean, Wood straight up for Marshall is nothing, forsure since the Reds are in the division.
You’re right. Wood had a 1.1 WAR, 4.86 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 4.61 xFIP, 6.45 K/9, and 3.40 BB/9.
What an AWESOME pile of garbage.
You stat guys are great. Can nobody improve once they set foot in the majors? Pay attention to this kid before you bash him and label him garbage. Wood has POTENTIAL to develop into a much better pitcher than he is now. That’s why Theo is paid millions because he can see this.
Yeah, Wood CAN get better. Marshall IS better. Marshall is proven as one of the best left-handed relivers in all of baseball. Wood regressed MAJORLY this season, similar to Randy Wells from 2009 to 2010 (and look where he is now).
You “not stats,” guys are even better. You love a guy despite his shortcomings and think that potential is an assured commodity worth more than proven MLB production, regardless of what numbers say.
John Sickels rated Wood as a C+ prospect before his 2010 debut, saying he is likely a #4/5 starter. Wood showed himself as a #4/5 starter. The Cubs have plenty of #4/5 starter options, but few quality RPs.
If this trade goes down, Wood will become your #3 guy in 2 years max. Because Wood has one bad year after an decent first year must mean he sucks? The Cubs aren’t winning anything anytime in the next couple years. A RP is worthless to you. You need a core first and Wood would instantly help that core. Theo must see something in Wood that you don’t. He wanted him in Boston and he wants him now. Seems like he would agree with me in this one.
You’re using extremely flawed logic here.
Ok, we’ll call Wood the Cubs’ #3 if this trade happens. So what? He’s a #3 on a TERRIBLE team. Being a #3 on the 5th-place (in their own division) is not the same as being the #3 on the Philadelphia team of aces.
In a world where Matt Capps gets you Wilsonj Ramos and Mike Adams gets you Erland AND Weiland, I want more than the #3 on a cellar-dwelling joke of a team.
If the Cubs are competitive while Wood is on their team, it won’t be with him as the #3.
a cubs fan calling the Reds a cellar-dwelling joke of a team…..that is just laughable!
It is, as a Cubs fan I hope the Reds win, and I don’t understand why everyone is freaking out. There might be a couple of minor leaguers coming our way who know maybe Frazier? The point is we are getting more than just Wood back.
if it is Frazier, that is a VAST over pay…should not be any top 10 Reds Prospects involved…
I heard “Low tier” prospects from John Fay.
I was talking about the Cubs…reading skills–you haz tham.
Oh and Sean Marshall is more than a Setup Man- that’s just the role he was in for the Cubs. I personally think he would have been a better starter than James Russell and the 6 other failures that the Cubs ran out last year…but that’s just me. I say trade Marmol, I could see netting a player like Wood for him, and make either Cashner or Marshall your closer, with the other one heading back to the rotation.
the cubs should consider themselves lucky if they get more than a bag of balls for marmol
Marmol’s not THAT bad. But yeah, Wood would be a lot for Marmol.
I rather trade James Russell than Marmol, that’s a guy you should be talking about. Forget Marmol as I said I still like Marmol and i think he’ll have bounce back season next year if not trade him during trade deadline. TRADE RUSSELL for anybody!!
russell was really freakin’ good when he was in the bullpen
Are you thinking of Jeff Russell?
I’ll admit he did good in the bullpen but i still don’t really, idk “trust” him.
you don’t trust russell but you trust marmol?
Actually I do, it’ll possibly get messy but somehow he gets out of it (didn’t do that a lot this season though). I love his stuff WHEN it’s working, his slider is filthy when it’s right.
cashner is a starter. <—that's a period
I thought the reports the Cubs were shopping Marshall were just reporters naming names. Outside of Venters, Marshall has been the best LH RP in baseball over the past 2 years. Guess the fact he’s a FA after this season, and his value is this high is making Theo consider pulling the trigger. Gotta think they can find something better then Wood though
I’m sure there would be a couple pieces more going the Cubs way.
However, Wood is a good, high-ceiling pitcher. It wouldn’t be as horrible for the Cubs as people are saying. I realize that Marshall is a top reliever, but you gotta jump when young starters are involved IMO.
What is it about Wood that makes you think he’s a high-ceiling pitcher? It certainly isn’t his height.
It’s not his velocity.It’s not his groundball rate.
Very low upside IMO.
I can see him as a number 3-4. That’s high-ceiling enough.
Fair enough. When I think of “high-ceiling”, I think #1/#2 starter.
‘high-ceiling’ to me (for a pitcher) is 1-4 in the rotation and a set-up or closer. Low ceiling would be 5 spot, long reliever, and middle reliever. Just my idea of it.
A 3-4 starter for the Cubs is essentially a 1-2, last time i checked their rotation was lead by Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano
Garza chimes in here…
You should check again
Garza has one foot out the door hoping to pitch for an actual team and not a collection of headcases, has beens, and never was’s
Oh
Young pitchers are also high risk- sometimes they are only good for 2-4 years, and if they are consistently better than that, they get too expensive. Hypothetically we could be trading Wood just as the Cubs become competitive because a. he becomes too expensive or b. he doesn’t pan out.
You got it wrong- The Reds would get more outta this deal- salary at least- 4 years for 1? Marshall is impressive- and wood did regress a bit last year- but he also went toe to toe with Roy Halladay and almost threw a no hitter against the Phillies- one hit them, and lost in the 9th I think. Had a very impressive welcome to the majors. Sorry- but you’re crazy if you think the Cubs would be getting the raw deal here.
*Almost threw a perfect game, gave up a double with 0 outs in the 9th in a 0-0 game, and finished the inning without allowing the runner to score. Sorry I had to correct and micromanage, it’s just I saw the video a few days ago when I was bored.
Guy no need to worries this isnt going to happen, I just noticed Ken Rosenthal wrote this…
Interesting that the early sentiment here seems to favor the Reds’ end of this potential swap. I know Wood is pretty much a No. 4 starter, but four years of him vs. one year of Marshall is the key here, especially after seeing reliever salaries get so bloated this offseason.
That’s what I’m sayin!
Marshall is impressive- but one year for four years of wood isn’t equitable- the Reds better get more than just Marshall.
I love how a ton of Cubs fans were so excited to get Theo. Now, all of our good players, expect Castro, are rumored to be going bye bye. And we got Ian Stewart, a .156 hitter. In Colorado. Things are looking up!
How’d you think he was going to rebuild the team? By sprinkling pixie dust? It’s a long process that’s just starting.
I’m not one of those “Theo Epstein walks on water” guys but I think he’s going about this the right way.
Can’t believe he didn’t win the world series yet! gosh
Nice try, Jim Hendry….
This is EXACTLY what Theo should be doing. The only question is the return.
Why would the Cubs trade with a team above them in the standings?
If we only trade with teams below them in the standings, we’d have a pretty limiting trade group.
Here, I like this move better. The Cubs negotiate a long term contract with Marshall and then move him back to the rotation. This way you kill two stones with one bird! You don’t need to sign Maholm and you keep one of the best lefties in baseball. You still have a good lefty in the pen with Russell and if Marshall falters you already know what he can do in relief. I get the whole “sell high” concept, but I would rather see that with Garza then Marshall, especially if all we are getting back for Marshall is Wood.
I stopped reading after “One of the best lefties in baseball”……oh come on now…
I’ll never cease to be amazed by human nature. Everybody thinks what they have is worth more than it actually is… It’s hard to believe Cubs fans have the brass cajones to ask for other players in addition to Wood for a reliever, not even a proven closer, who will get paid $3M and then becomes a free agent in less than a year. You would get a 24-year old starter with a high ceiling and have him under control for several years. Are you kidding me? I hope the Cubs management doesn’t think along these lines, and if they do, I hope Walt Jocketty shoves it back in their last place faces. This is why the Cubs are a joke. But good luck down the road, maybe Tampa will give you Evan Longoria, James Shields and a few prospects for your phenom setup man who craps pure solid bricks of gold. Do Cincinnati a favor and keep your golden boy, somehow I think they’ll find a way to cope without this guy.
I’ll never cease to be amazed by human nature. Everybody thinks what they have is worth more than it actually is ……….
…….You would get a 24-year old starter with a high ceiling and have him under control for several years.
ohh the irony
“I’ll never cease to be amazed by human nature. Everybody thinks what they have is worth more than it actually is [. . .] the Cubs would get a 24-year old starter with a high ceiling”
Presumably this includes Reds fans. Wood is a back-end starter. If that’s what passes for high upside, well, I guess I’ll borrow your line and suggest you keep your golden boy.
Bleacher report going to run Heisey for Marmol again?
The Reds have interest in Marlon Byrd and I’m sure the Cubs would be pleased as ever to dump Soriano off on anyone. Maybe the Reds can get a LFer and solid bullpen arm for another spare part. Maybe a toss in. I think they still have enough prospects to net Andrew Bailey.
this is a bad trade because the Cubs already have Travis Wood on staff…his name is Randy Wells. check the stats. very similar.
Oh careful with that comparison there! Wells is about 5 years older and has already hit his ceiling (sarcasm). Actually Wells looked better when he was Wood’s age then he does right now. So depending on your perspective, that ceiling can sometimes be the floor!
I’d make this deal if I were the Reds. Gives them a solid left handed closer to go along with Bray, Massett, Ondrusik, and Chapman if he’s not in the rotation. If Chapman’s not in the rotation, I can’t think of a better pen in the NL Central to close out a game then Bray, Chapman, and then Marshall. Wood’s not going into the Reds rotation anytime soon. I see the 1-5 being Cuteo, Latos, Arroyo, Leake, Bailey.
Hopefully this doesn’t go through and Marshall heads to Toronto with Garza
Exactly. I love how Travis Wood isn’t good enough to beat out Mike Leake or Homer Bailey, but he’s a ‘high ceiling’ guy. Bullcrap.
Here’s to hoping AA want’s to overpay for Marshall and Garza.
Are the Jays ready to trade some of those untouchables?? Who matches up with Lawrie on Jays??
Texas traded a top 40 SP and another pretty good AA SP for 1 year and 2 months of Mike Adams. Marshall should get close to that package.
That’s a lot for a team to give up. Even with a really good farm…
Just becasue Texas overpayed for Adams dosen’t mean the Reds will, espically to a team in their own divison. I’d say the offer is Wood for Marshall, straight up.
Actually, considering Marshall is the one with even a glimmer of a successful track record, the onus is on Walt to offer more. Plus, there have been many teams in on Marshall…Jed/Theo can get more elsewhere than a 24 year old SP with a low ceiling.
Very true and a good point, but if Theo wants Wood..then he’ll go with Wood unless he gets blown away
For Garza maybe, for Marshall, no.
Jays got Santos for 6 years for an 7/8 prospect in the organization. . price can’t be anywhere near that for 1 year of Marshall.
I would think an offer of Mcguire, Jimenez, Cecil & Thames would be fair value for Garza & Marshall…
Couple of things here: Most baseball people I’ve read consider Molina a future RP, not a rotational arm. That significantly reduces the value of return. Kenny, outside of Danks trade, seems to severely misjudge other teams talent vs. his own.
Also, marshall is a LHP who destroys LHP (.509 OPS) AND RHP (.599 OPS). That’s an extremely rare commodity. He has significant value, even with one year of control. Plus, since he doesn’t/hasn’t closed, his arbitration number (if offered/accepted) would be much less than a Closer.
I think that package, if offered from the Jays, would be laughed at.
laughed at??
Cecil has potential and would fit nicely as a 3/4 in the cubs rotation, has 4 years left of control
Deck Mcguire is a top 3 Jays prospect, throws 4 pitches for strikes and is a lock to be a good mid rotation pitcher. 6 years of control
Jimenez is a young catcher who can hit, top 10 organizational prospect, 6 years of control
Thames is a a young outfielder with some power, may eventually be pushed in to a 4th OF role, but has 5 years of service left.
This batch is one swap (thames for gose) to being close to the Latos trade. But considering garza has 2 years left it deservingly less..
so explain to me how it would be ‘laughed at’ .. thats 21 years of control, 12 of it (mcguire/jimenez) are top 10 organizational talent.
So many Cub fans out there still don’t get it. Keep Marshall so fans will still come to the games? You think 75% of the people at Wrigley know who Sean Marshall is, or what he does?
You have your genius triumverate now, so why not let them do their jobs?
For what it’s worth, and it could be for something totally different, but some news websites are reporting that another trade seems to be close. It could be the Marshall deal, or something for a cheap left fielder.
Where are you hearing/reading this?
It was on the Bleacher Report team feed on my Android. Jocketty was quoted as saying he had another trade set up, but it was taking longer than he expected. Then this popped up on here, so I’m assuming it’s this one.
bleacher report is quite possibly the least credible website on the internet
That’s true but when I clicked the link it pulled me to the Reds site.
This is an odd ball trade. Marshall is ok. Wood, I thought had some potential.
Plus, these two teams are rivals.
Why doesn’t Jocketty trade for Grant Balfour instead?
PS Marmol is terrible!
Billy Beane probably asked for Latos in exchange for Balfour
Hahaha, maybe
Lol Balfour was here already. He couldn’t stay healthy so the Reds cut him and he wound up in Tampa.
I just looked that up, you’re right. However, he didn’t even play in the Bigs for the Reds. Well, he’s healthy now and he’s a good pitcher. I remember him as a Ray and he pitched very well for Oakland. Although, I did see him give up a 3 run bomb to Trumbo. He was lucky to have been winning 4 -0. Marshall is nothing special. Heck, how about Guthrie for Wood.
Thanks for looking that up, I couldn’t remember if he cracked the bigs or not. I wouldn’t mind having Guthrie on the Reds, but I fear he’d turn into Arroyo 2.0. Having Marshall would help out the Reds more than Guthrie I think
Marshall is just ok?
I think alot of people are also overlooking a simple fact..let’s say this trade happens later tonight, tomorrow, over over Christmas sometime. As a Reds fan this would make me thrilled, but let’s say come next season the Reds are (God I hope not) out the race for whatever reason. They can move Marshall and get more back than what they gave up for him.
Why would you assume they would get more than what they gave up, when his value would only be worse? I doubt you are going to see a team give up a young starter + 2 prospects like the Reds are about to do, let alone a BETTER deal than that.
One, Wood is not a young starter, aside from his near no hitter, he’s done nothing to impress. Had he been impressive, he’d be in the rotation in Cincy. Two, these aren’t super prospects going to the Cubs. They’re prob low A ball prospects who won’t ever sniff the majors IMO. The Reds, if they’re out of the race and flip Marshall, can get that back from another team.
24-years-old is no longer a “young starter”?? On what planet?
If this trade happens the cubs are absolutley in rebuilding mode 100% NO FIELDER.Go Theo and Jed
It will be a long couple of years but 2015 WORLD SERIES
Sounds like there are two prospects coming along with Wood if the deal goes through.
Writer Levine from Chicago is reporting that a deal is close and he confirmed that two prospects are going with Woods in the deal.
I can’t imagine it being any prospects of significant value going to the Cubs.
Why can’t you?
WOOD IS BAD.
So a 3 for 1 deal? Someone better take Walt’s iphone away if this is true. Walt will be regretting this one when Wood regains his command and becomes a solid 3 or 4 in a year or two.
you’re right. Man will he regret when T. Wood turns into a ‘solid’ #4. My g-d the kind of things people write after midnight.
I said 3 or 4. If your rotation is good you have 4 solid pitchers, not just 3. Cubs rotation is not so good so he will most likely become their 3 in a couple years. Must be tired not reading the entire post or just responding to the part that would make you feel superior.
They better be A ball prospects. Or a A ball prospect from the Cubs and Reds each.
No kidding. WJ is selling going through prospects like water.
I doubt it’s any of the top prospects we got left. It can’t be Hamilton cus the Cubs have Catro at short..can’t be Frazier cus we got hopes on him being the backup infielder..
Maybe Duran and a low pitching prospect.
Not too familiar with Duran. As long as it’s not Joseph, Hamilton, or Lotzkar. I’m okay.
Cool, we’ll take Mesoraco then.
You can have Castro he’s terrible at SS, Darwin Barney is 10 times the defensive player Castro is at SS.
you’re not too smart. Castro led the national league in hits last season and ended up with a 300+ batting avg. He was only 22 this past season, his defense will get better and he has more range than Barney. Barney is a great defensive player at 2nd, his offense sucks.
he also had aboutr 10 games with at least 2 errors. Bsrneys natural position is SS the best thing to do is but the better defensive player at SS. Barney is decent on offense.
I hope this goes through…. 5 years of control of a ML ready SP and 2 prospects for a 29 yo lefty reliever with a year left on contract. Do it Theo and Jed!
Look at this guy. A logical Cubs fan that realizes this deal is good for Chicago and might be the reason the majority of Reds fans hate the idea. It’s good to know level-headed fans exist in Chicago on the north side.
Not to mention that there is nothing stopping Hoyer from signing Marshall in 2013. Win-win for the Cubbies!
Plus, some of the prospects we still have, pending on the two we’re sending to the Cubs are Billy Hamilton, Juan Fransico,Todd Frazier, Donnie Joseph,Kyle Lotzkar. Those are some pretty solid prospects.
Well, im going to late to see who the 2 prospects the Cubs are getting before I say this is a good or bad trade for the Cubs.
I’m not a fan of either team, but this deal seems totally lopsided in the Cubs’ favor. Yes, Marshall is a fantastic lefty reliever, but you only get him for one year before he’s a free agent. Wood is under team control for five more years, and now Cincy’s adding two more players to the deal? I know it’s kind of a wait-and-see as to who the minor leaguers are, but this deal seems really one-sided.
I think the Cubs are getting the raw end of this deal. Sure Travis Wood could have a breakout year but Sean Marshall is a pretty damn good reliever. If they want to drop relievers why don’t they give the Reds Carlos Marmol. They should also include the book “Chicken Soup for the Carlos Marmol Employer Watching Him Attempt To Lock Down A Save”
1. Marmol is much more expensive.
2. This is the last year of Sean Marshall’s contract.
3. Cubs are finally “selling high” for once rather than watching one of their players collapse and trying to get rid of him after that. (But who knows, Marshall might be good for years to come.)
They may well trade Marmol also. I certainly would.
However, why would the Cubs want to keep Marshall for this year, if they aren’t going to be able to compete? He is not signed next year, and there is no guarantee that he will. Best case scenario for the Cubs, he comes back next year anyway, as a free agent.
Could they get a better deal for Marshall? Maybe. But this deal is more than fair with two prospects.
As a side note, it always strikes me as odd that fans are completely unwilling to trade good players who aren’t under team control after a year or two, even if their team is not competitive. Do fans think that all other teams are poorly run? If my team can compete, why would I trade for your garbage? If my team can’t compete, why hold on to valuable trade chips instead of building for the future?
Marmol is making big $$$. He is another one of the horrible Hendry contracts the Cubs have to ride out.
This is a nice move by Theo. The Cubs arn’t competing for something like a couple years so getting rid of an elite lefty pen piece makes sense. If Wood is solid to slightly above the Cubs win this one by alot. Not to say the Reds won’t benefit this year though.
Think this definitely benefits the Cubs in the long run, while also helping out the Reds to win now mode with Pujols and maybe Fielder gone as well. If he wants that 10 yr deal he’s probably not coming to the Chicago.
We don’t need or want Fielder he can ruin his Career in Seattle
I like this deal a lot for the Cubs. It’s stupid for them to hang on to an elite reliever for a season that they’re clearly not going to compete in. Wood himself, let alone two other guys, is a good haul for one year of Marshall.
Wow. This could easily end up sucking. I have no problem with Woody for Marshall, despite the team control differential. It’s the prospects that scare me. But who knows? Maybe Marshall is our new closer. At $3.1MM this year, I bet he could be re-signed/extended at a reasonable cost even if 2012 goes well…certainly less than the $11MM CoCo was getting.
No way. Marshall is one of the best relievers in the majors. Cubs better get more than 1 player for him. Especially someone other than a fly ball pitcher at Wrigley.
If a closer, under team control for five more years, gets a single prospect, then why does a non-closer who is a free agent after only one year get far more?
I agree that Wood isn’t enough, as he is a significantly lower level prospect (use the term loosely) than in the example above, but if the two minor leaguers rumored to be in the deal are mid-level, the deal is fair. Relievers just aren’t worth that much, and only get large returns if they have proven they can close.
The first team in the NL central to get 85 wins, wins the divison if any get 85!
My first impression is that the Cubs need to get more for Marshall than Wood. The biggest thing this trade shows you is the direction both teams are going.
Looks like they may be getting two prospects as well, but I wouldn’t hope for too much. Relievers, no matter how effective, don’t get a huge haul unless they’re proven closers. A young, cost controlled starter plus two mid-level prospects is already a decent deal, especially for only one year of Marshall.
If Marshall were under team control for a few more years, it’s a different story, but this deal (if it occurs as rumored) seems fair.
Good move for the Reds and not just for 2012. Woods was going be collecting splinters in the bullpen orr in the rotation at Louisville anyway. Get something for him while his value is high and improving the bullpen with a proven commodity is smart. As for the prospects in this or the Latos deal, they’re just prospects and make great trade chips. Look at what happened to all those prospects in the Santana to the Mets trade from a few years back. GM in Cincy is not gonna be content fighting for 2nd or 3rd place or worse–more power to him, he acts likes he’s GM of the Red Sox or Yankees…
If the Reds are getting nothing beyond Marshall, who is a free agent after this season, how is this a good move for more than just 2012? Given the season Wood had last year, his only value is the hope for the future. His value was high BEFORE last season, but isn’t all that high right now. Of course, riding pine, it isn’t getting any higher.
This deal makes sense for the Reds, as it provides a proven bullpen arm in exchange for a spare part and prospects, but to say it helps for more than just this year is insane. Unless the Reds can somehow sign Marshall to an extension (why, if you don’t know if he can close?), this helps for 2012 ONLY. We won’t know how much it hurt after 2012 for a while.
But maybe that is all they need to sign Votto to an extension; One championship. If that is the case then so be it.
Votto is overrated and a complete dick. He refused to high five Marlon Byrd 2010 All Star Game after making a game saving play. Plus I said it before and i will say it again he undeservingly won the NL MVP last year when not 1 but 2 player had better number but he made the playoffs. The only reason why he won.
Dumbest post of the year candidate!
Facts are facts dude. Pujols and CarGo had way better numbers but missed the playoffs, Result the 3rd best player Stat wise is MVP because of his playoff appearance. Prove me wrong otherwise
So, Votto was the most valuable player on a team that made the playoffs as opposed to the other two who had better numbers but ended up in Florida on vacation earlier than Votto. Do you see where I am going here? Best player on his team in the postseason vs best player on a team that might as well have been the Cubs, Pirates or Mariners when the final regular seaon records were posted.
That made no sense.. CarGo and Pujols had better numbers no matter what you say. Playoffs don’t mean s*** for the Regular season MVP. Votto won because the Reds went to the playoffs, Plain and Simple, The same thing happened this year Ryan Rodgers was named MVP but Matt Kemp should have won. Yes I am calling Ryan Braun, Ryan Rodgers because him and Aaron Rodgers look like they could be twins, plus both are some ugly dudes too.
Factless, baseless, and cherry picking your data to support a weak conclusion. Only way you can “prove” that it was the playoffs would be to interview every voter to see why they voted for Votto. Anything else is just pure speculation and sounds more like a bitter anti-Votto rant based more off your dislike for the man than a legit argument
2010 WAR – Pujols 7.5, Votto 7.3, Cargo 6.5. Cargo was just out of the discussion. Votto and Pujols were close enough that I don’t have a problem with Votto getting it.
I just looked at the numbers Vottos WAR was 5.5 not 7 and that has nothing to do with the MVP stats its Hits C. HR P. Runs P. BA V. and Slug. Votto had slugging by 4 points over Pujols and CarGo.. I am really tired of being right all the time.
I don’t need to prove anything because I can tell you can’t grasp the concept of what it is to be an MVP. You look at pure numbers as the only criteria while ignoring a player’s “value” to his team. There is more to a baseball team then stats.
Reds fans seem pretty high on their team after finishing 17 games out of first with a sub 500 record last season. If you subtract the fact that the cubs lost their #4 and #5 starters a couple of weeks into the season the Reds and the Cubs probably would have had close to the same record.
Cubs will get 2 prospects (mediocre most likely) and Wood for Marshall or Theo and co. will move on. You guys aren’t dealing with Jim Hendry anymore. Reds will be getting one of the most reliable and best setup men in baseball for a season, the cubs get some rotation depth that they sorely lacked last year after being plagued by injuries. Seems like a good deal for both teams considering what they’re trying to do.
While there are no injuries to blame, I think the Reds underperformed in 2011. Of course, I think they overperformed in 2010, and their true talent is somewhere between the two.
Adding Latos makes the Reds competitive, and both the Cardinals and Brewers lost (or will lose) key pieces. I think that the addition of Latos makes the three clubs roughly equal.
I completely agree that many Reds fans are too optimistic, but I can’t blame the sentiment. Of course, I also agree that this is a good deal for both teams, based on what they want to do.
The Reds want to compete, and this deal makes them better. It’s not enough to put them over the top, so don’t trade the topmost prospects. The Cubs want to rebuild, and a cost controlled pitcher and two prospects give them a good start.
I like Marshall a lot…he’s been very good, has his head on straight (something a lot of Cubs can’t say), and does his role very well. That being said, he’s going to command 5-6 million per year on the open market next year. It’s too rich for a RP, so dealing him now is a great idea. Travis Wood doesn’t excite me, but neither does the prospect of watching Marshall walk next year cuz some team overpays him. Even if the prospects coming back aren’t good, I like that Wood will get a chance to start. See what the kid has. Maybe we get lucky. If there is a better package out there, take it. But I bet this is the best they will get.
Why not….Murphy for Wood?
dusty+latos= no nl central crowns and probable tj in 2 years.
the cubs dont need marshall the reds do, wood + solid prospect
Cubs best reliever for the Reds reliever who hasn’t proven a damn thing, they could have gotten a whole lot more during the trade deadline last July, the Cubs were out of the Race in May, it would have made sense to send Marshall to a contender then, now it makes no sense to trade him within the division, Hoyer and Theo are off to a rocky start. It started good by not giving Ramirez a chance to re-sign with them then it continued downhill. DeJesus wasn’t a bad signing, trading Marshall over Marmol or Zambrano horrible.
Theo would trade Marmol and Zambrano in a second if he could find a taker. Name a team that would want a psychopath, club house cancer along with a closer who can’t throw strikes.
The Red Sox love cancer player, they have Lackey although out for the year luckily for them and they had Papolbon who believe it or not is worse then Marmol, Unfortunately the Phillies have him now.
This deal might hinge on a contract extension for Marshall.
A good point..I didn’t even think of that one. Maybe something along the lines of 3 or 4 years for 15 mil?
I could live with that … would make me feel a lot better about the trade if we end up giving them any low level/high end prospects along with Wood
And I am in no way a Votto fan. I like him as a player but I agree his personality leaves a lot to desired.
Nothing wrong with being an introvert. Not everyone is wired to be the life of the party or comfortable in the spot light. Nor is it a requirement for him to be or act the way we fans would prefer.
Since Marshall gets out righties (xFIP 2.7) and lefties (xFIP 2.14), should he be tried as a starter again. It is in vogue to do so.
Heard one of the prospects could be MI prospect Billy Hamilton along with Travis Wood and another piece. Nothing definitive at the moment.
That can’t be true Hamilton is untouchable he wasn’t even involved in the Latos deal and SD needs middle infielders.
It won’t be Hamilton. There’s no way. Cubs have Castro at SS and Hamilton’s untouchable, like Shane said.
The deal has to be dead. It wold of happened already…… Let’s move on.
I agree. The Reds aren’t involving Billy the kid, Soto or Corcino in the deal so unless the Cubs/Reds basically swap Travis Wood for Marshall the deal isn’t happening.. 5 years of control for 1 year just doesn’t make sense. The Reds need SP depth, but I understand them wanting Marshall
It’s not dead till someone from either the Reds or Cubs say it’s dead. Maybe they’re working on a contract extension with Marshall or waiting on the Cubs to pick what two low level minor leaguers they want.
This would be a bad trade for the Cubs. Unless the Cubs get two good prospects that are at least a year away from playing in the Majors, this would be a bad trade. The two prospects would need to be hitters. One would need to be a 3rd Basemen that can hit for power or a switch hitting player that can hit for a high average and can induce walks without having a high strike out rate. Unless these prospects can be that type of player, then this would be a bad trade.
Than this scrubs era? Yes. Marshall is the top left handed reliever in all of baseball. This guy has an era near 5 and half as many walks as strike outs. The Cubs can do much better, especially if hes paired up with Garza (Blue Jays) or Soto (Angels).
Now I don’t know Wood’s stuff, but Marshall’s first two years were as a starter, not reliever. unless Wood has a devastating curve and good control I don’t see how he could match Marshall’s stats in the pen. It would have been a better comparison if you did Marshall’s first two years as a reliever.
nvm.
Why in the world would the reds include others? If anything, one year for 4 years is lopsided in the cubs’ favor.
in terms of absolute value, you’re in the right. but they likely gave away more in total value to the padres for latos, too. that’s how these things tend to go
i’m as opposed to the overvaluing of relievers as anybody, but the reds are staring at a 2-year window right now. it’s time to go all-in and if that’s the approach i’m taking, i trade a travis wood for a sean marshall every single time
Marshall is one of the best LHP relievers in the majors.
Yeah that 2.31 ERA…just awful.
And Votto, Phillips, Bruce, and Latos. They all suck, OBVIOUSLY 1year of Marshall is worth 10x more than all these scrubs combined.
You’re right – thanks!
And you underrate Marshall. While I do agree with the years of control (didn’t know there was that big of a difference), Marshall is considered to be the best lefty in baseball. I’d much rather (in this situation; there are situations where the opposite might be true) have one of the best bullpen arms in all of baseball as opposed to a mediocre (as of right now) #4-5. Obviously, like I said above, the years of control basically change everything.
Seems like it would be a good trade for both parties. Reds are all in this year and don’t have a spot for Wood, Cubs are all but in this year and don’t need a set-up man.
Edit: I may have underestimated how good Marshall is. Reds could throw in another piece or Cubs could try elsewhere.
A “good package” = Travis Wood and a licensed psychiatrist to deal with Zambrano
Marshall isn’t better than Venters.
While Marshall may have been one of the best left-handers last year (I think Venters and O’flaherty were better), you have to remember how quickly things can change for a reliever. Two years ago Hong-Chih Kuo was far and away the best lefty reliever in baseball. Look where he is now.
So was Armando Gallaraga. Wanna trade for him?
Your point being? Meaningless argument.
I’ve read your posts, hardly impressive cherry picking for stats. Best case scenario, this guy is a #4 starter (which in all fairness, I would take any number of scrubs to be the cubs #4 starter). Marshall though, is one of the most desired relievers in the game.
Your 1 year v. 4 years and sp v. rp is an argument not based on the realities of the baseball market. All you have to do, is look at what the Padres got at the deadline last year.
The only reason to accept such junk, would be that with the new CBA, Marshall wont be a type A. However, I have no doubt that another team will offer better than just T. Wood. In fact, im pretty sure in 2 years, when hes on waivers and gets traded for a back-up catcher; You’ll be one of the first to say good riddance.
They’re pulling a Milwaukee!
I think his point is, Leake will be in the rotation before Wood unless Leake or another goes down with injury. I’ll take Leake anyday over Wood. Aside from Wood’s near no hitter versus Doc and the Phils, he really hasn’t amounted to much. On a top staff, Wood’s your 5th starter or long man out of the pen. If the Reds can trade him for one of the best LH relief pitchers in the league right now, I do it in a heartbeat and say thanks for commin Theo.
What he’s worth in theory differs from what the market dictates
and based on recent trades of relievers, he is worth 5 years of a backend starter, perhaps more
exactly. he was awful as a starter. granted, a lot of the time it was spot starts due to injuries or weather postponement factors.
And that’s fine. I hope the Reds do. Jocketty made it clear with the Latos deal he’s trying to win THIS season, therefore Wood is redundant and pointless, but Marshall would have high value to the Reds.
If Theo only gets a 24 year old unimpressive SP for the 2nd best LH RP in the game, it’s a sad day for Cub fans.
Marshall was one of the best lefty relievers in baseball last year. It will take more than number 5 starter/Long Run guy to get him.
nobody thought that, genius.
True, and I love Bray and Chapman on the Reds, but right now I’d say Wood’s a spare part, and if we can Marshall for him, jump on it. The Lecure becomes your emergency starter.
No, five years of backend starting is not, if the player is easily replaced by…almost any other backend starter.
And I fail to see your point about Latos…I know he isn’t a rental. But his acquisition shows pretty solidly (considering what Jocketty gave up) that he wants to win right now. Getting the best available LH RP is a big step in that direction.
what1233456 get out your surrounded by Cubs fans and not to bright of ones. (none really are) I hope the Reds pull out on this one. I think Travis is a key to the future. His stats are alittle miss leading. He at times pitched very well. Lets give him another year and see where he is at. one year of a reliever is not worth it.
Cubs fans why do you want to hold on to a reliever for 11 months. Be honest with yourself you are noting winning this year. Trade your pieces and rebuild.
2 years ago arthur rhodes was the best lefty reliever in baseball, last year he gave up 17 earned runs in 33 innings, ill take the 25 year old starter with upside over some reliever who could just as easily fall off the face of the earth as have another season like last year.
you are comparing a 40 year old rhodes to sean marshall? either way it sounds like there are 2 prospects coming along with woods in the deal.
What upside? “Hey guys, he might actually be a #4!?”
Backend starters, even cheap ones, are a dime a dozen. They are not how you get a team back in contention, especially when it costs one of your best trade chips. The Cubs’ moves need to be for high upside guys and hope to hit on some of them.
Wood is a starter and has shown the ability to have good command. Ask the Phillies.
what MIL comparison?
if the window is larger, i can see the argument against this trade. i think votto is basically the window, though
Agree on that one. The entire franchise does not have just a 2-year window to win just because Votto is a FA in 2 years. Votto would be the one player leaving. By then who knows how good Soto would be by then with 2 years at AAA or how much the other guys have developed. Our pitching staff is under control for 3-4 more years minimum minus Arroyo who is here for 2.
I agree with you on this one. Why give up on Wood while he is still so young? Walt would be dumb to trade away such a good insurance policy for our rotation for a LHP reliever when we already have Bray. Nobody knows what Marshall would do as a closer. He may choke under that pressure.
Yeah, you’re comparing what Wood is good at against what Marshall is bad at. It’s like comparing Derek Jeter as a cleanup hitter to Prince Fielder as a cleanup hitter.
Reds would be selling high on him, not low.
Lecure was too good in the pen getting the Reds out of jams seemingly every other night. Wood is our starter if one of the top 5 go down. Any good team has a capable guy one phone call away to make a start and Wood is that to the Reds, not a spare at all.
I doubt the prospects are anything the Reds are gonna miss. Hell I won’t miss Wood being around. Aside from his near no hitter, Wood hasn’t impressed me. And Latos isn’t a “mediocre pitcher”. And the Reds, with Chapman, Bray, Massett, Ondruisk, and Marshall have a pretty nasty looking bullpen. Espically if Marshall makes it as closer.
Lol Masset scares me I admit. But if tossing in two low level prospects means Marshall comes to Cincy and eliminates the chances of Coco comming back here, I’m all for it.
Marmol is the same way he needs at least a 5 run cushion to get the save 9 out of 10 times that’s not enough.
That’s true I forgot about all those. So even though we lost three of our top prospects.. we’re still stocked.
Just because he ‘demands’ it doesn’t mean he’ll get paid it. That’s why the Reds told him to go test the market. He hasn’t found the offers his was thinking he would get or else he would be signed already.
Idk, getting Marshall is a pretty good return.
And sorry Marsall became a reliever. Even Mariano started his career trying to by a SP.
Reds farm system is hardly “stocked”, especially after that laughable Latos trade.
I think you can still offer arbitration without guaranteeing 12.5 million. You just don’t get a draft pick as compensation if the player turns it down and signs elsewhere.
Its pretty sad when one of the cubs best trade chips is a soft throwing 30 year old lefty reliever and besides, a #4 for anyone else could be the cubs opening day starter next year
Ha lets remember where Latos was pitching last year to where he is pitching this year. He sure wont have that 3.24 home ERA he did last year. 5 best Reds starters in the past 20 years? Definitely not sold on that.
I don’t think the Cubs can afford to get rid of any starting pitching prospects. It is the team’s greatest area of need and a fairly big minor league weakness. I like Rizzo and all, but it’s easier to find a good first baseman if that’s what you need than it is to find a good starting pitcher.
On a kind of unrelated note, I checked out the Fangraphs article on this potential trade and saw this bit. I didn’t quite realize just how good Sean Marshall has been:
“[Marshall’s] 5.0 WAR is the highest of any reliever in baseball since the beginning of the 2010 season, and only Mike Adams, Daniel Bard, Tyler Clippard, and Jonny Venters have tallied more holds than Marshall’s 56 in that same time frame. His FIPs of 2.28 and 1.86 over the past two years, respectively, also illustrate just how stifling he has been for the Chicago Cubs.”
Just wow.
I think you’re half right. The Cubs are in long-term rebuilding mode, and a Marshall trade makes sense.
However, regarding your Rizzo suggestion, I disagree.
First, Wood just isn’t that good of a prospect. He’s a #4 starter, with a potential to be a low #3. Just not good enough to land Rizzo, especially if the Cardinals or Brewers start thinking of him as replacement material for the loss of their first basemen.
Second, the Cubs don’t have a “top pitching prospect” to include in the deal, as you suggest. If they did, they probably wouldn’t include him anyway, since they wouldn’t have anything behind him. The Cubs farm system just isn’t that good right now, hence the rebuilding efforts.
The only way I see Rizzo headed to Chicago is with a few prospects included in a deal for Garza.
Well then you know nothing about the Reds system, bc we are STILL stocked! Cubs will not get Hamilton, Corcino, Yorman, HRod, Soto, Torreyes, Lotzkar, Gregorious, etc..
We’re still stocked as Josh pointed out. And as far as bad Latos trade as you termed it, how the hell is getting several years of a number 1/2 type pitcher a bad deal?? Did the Reds need to give up Boxberger? No, prob not. But that’s a win-win for Cincy and SD.
Irrelevant, unless you get your jollies by trying (and failing rather miserably) to insult fans of other teams. The question is whether or not a trade is a good return for the person traded, not where the return might rank on his new team. Being a bad team doesn’t mean you should be thankful to get anything in return for quality players.
And if you think the reliever with the highest WAR in baseball over the last two years is a pretty sad top trade chip, well, that says a lot more about you than it does about Sean Marshall or the Chicago Cubs.
I never once suggested that the Cubs should not trade Sean Marshall or any other player. In fact if you read my other replies I am fully for it. I questioned the wisdom of trading starting pitching prospects for a first base prospect when your organization’s greatest need is starting pitching. It doesn’t add up. (I also questioned the return when it was rumored to be Marshall for Wood, but that is neither here nor there and largely irrelevant now that it appears prospects are moving.)
I sincerely hope that “people need to get that into their heads” shot wasn’t directed at me.
I agree with your thoughts, though if I were Theo/Jed, I would still find a way to trade Marmol and Zambrano. Are you going to get a great return? Maybe not, but you are getting nothing by keeping them.
Trading Marshall makes sense, since he can get you a decent return. Trading the others makes sense too, so long as you realize you aren’t going to get much in return.
They could also start by having the Ricketts resign right now and an actual fan and not someone who has his own money needs to own the Cubs. Mark Cuban would have been perfect. Tom Ricketts has only been a Cubs fan since 1986, that’s not a fan. He’s like in his 50’s if he had been a fan for 45 yrs it would be acceptable. But we as Cub fans have been going through the pain longer then he has. I am sure there is Cubs fans here that have been longing for a WS title 20 yrs longer then Tom Ricketts. He’s will ultimately be the down fall of that Organization. It’s already a horrible Organization when you had Jim Hendry who had literally one good signing. And they had a clown for a pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Worst Pitching coach in the history of the game of baseball
You’re ignoring his minor league numbers and his 2010 numbers… sophomore slump anyone? In 2010 all the broadcasters were comparing Leake and Wood to a young Maddux and Glavine. Do i think either will be as good? No, but those are tough names to live up to.
Marmol just needs a pitching coach like Dave Duncan, Zambrano’s and Soriano’s contract should just be bought out for about 10 mil a piece. That’s way too much for both of them but if they are out of Chicago Theo and Jed and rebuild properly.