The Dodgers and Cubs have had some discussions about including Alfonso Soriano or Bryan LaHair in a trade for Ryan Dempster, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. The Dodgers continue seeking offense as well as pitching, but it’s a definite longshot that they’ll acquire Soriano or LaHair, Knobler writes.
The Cubs are “desperate” to trade Soriano, who earns $18MM per season through 2014. The Cubs have offered to pay almost all of Soriano’s salary, but he’s drawing minimal interest from other teams, according to Knobler. At least one team has checked in on Soriano, who has 19 home runs and a respectable .274/.324/.503 batting line.
The Dodgers have also talked about the possibility of acquiring Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham of the Twins, Knobler reports.
“The Cubs are “desperate” to trade Soriano”– what source ever said the Cubs were desperate to trade Sori ?
Danny Knobler, according the link provided in the above post.
Are the Cubs now desperate to trade everybody or anybody? Seems to make no sense to me that they want to ride themselves of Soriano so badly. He is having a pretty good year and from what I have heard, is a decent guy in the clubhouse. I say keep him!
Cubs are just trying to get younger. I think the Cubs just want to give Brett Jackson a try in the majors. If the Cubs can get a prospect for Sori they should do it!
The Cubs have a whole outfield to play BJax if he were truly ready, which he is not. Plus, the Cubs can’t hope for anything back for Soriano if they trade him. If they are going to pay his salary anyways, let him play, or make him a bench player.
Maybe if Brett Jackson didn’t have a 39% K rate they would be looking to promote him.
Judging by the last two games we’ve played (which is, admittedly, a small sample size), we’re gonna need a LOT more offense on top of Hanley. I’d take LaHair over Loney every day of the week, too.
Loney isn’t great but he can beat Lahair’s, “.214 batting average and a .600 OPS since the middle of May”
They’re probably near to the same. Still, if the opportunity would present itself, I don’t think Ned would say no.
im sure he will, loney at least has a gold glove caliber glove, people underestimate a good defensive 1st baseman when your gonna soon have ramirez and gordon throwing to first.
Lahair can’t hit lefties, and is at best a platoon player. Really not worth giving much up for if you ask me
Loney can’t hit lefties worth a lick, either. So they’re even on that front.
Interesting that they are linked to Morneau and Lahair. Loney is actually a better hitter vs. lefties than either of them.
LaHair is hitting .214/.273/.327/.600 since May 15th. He is horrible.
I’ve been one of Loney’s biggest critics. I’ve been advocating replacing him for years. There are few major league first basemen I wouldn’t rather have. But LaHair is worse than Loney, offensively and defensively.
I get that Soriano is overpaid, but come on. Teams that need offensive help are making a mistake by not going after him.
problem is cubs willing to eat his salary because they want a prospect, likely a pitcher in return. Dodgers would prefer they pay 70% of deal and they trade them am c prospect in return. Cubs don’t want to doubt a dump.
I’m not sure even the Dodgers would want to pay $28 million (70% of the approx. $40 million remaining on his deal) for Soriano.
and the Cubs will pick up some/most of the tab.
It’s a no-brainer for someone looking to take a shot this year.
agreed, it doesn’t make sense that people wouldn’t be interested in the possibility if the Cubs have indeed “offered to pay almost all of Soriano’s salary”
agreed, especially if the Cubs are willing to eat all but a few million. If you are able to get this guy for under $8MM, he’s a steal since he is under contract for another seasons after this.
If I’m Kasten, I’m willing to take on $16m of Soriano’s remaining contract. $8m over the next two seasons is reasonable, though I would expect some regression from this season’s numbers. This is with only a low level prospect going back to the Cubs in return, though. If they want something of value, they’d have to pay more.
In every way imaginable, I am so sick of Ryan Dempster.
As a Braves fan, I couldn’t agree more.
As a Dodgers fan, I am just as sick of it.
What exactly are you sick of?? Dempster WANTING to come to your team? Explain yourself.
To be honest, I’m sick of this wishy-washy “will-he-or-won’t-he” card he keeps playing. If he wants to play for LA, that’s great. But with the way he keeps switching things up, it’s no shock the Dodgers are trying to pursue Shields instead.
HE isn’t playing any such card. He would be willing to go to LA, but the Dodgers’ front office seems to want to undercut the Cubs on the deal. Dempster has ZERO to do with that.
The real problem with the Ryan Dempster situation is value. The Cubs want a super star prospect for a rental player. The Dodgers are not willing to give up a #1 prospect in there farm system for a rental. It would be like trading 68 corvette for a 68 Nova SS with no motor or tranny. The guy with the Nova is trying to convince you that you just got the better end of this deal.
lol Theo. First Dempster, then Garza, and now this.
I think Danny is “desperate” for attention using that word. I disagree strongly that the Cubs are desperate.
Of course you do, but it is obvious they are desperate to move pretty much all their veterans.
The Cubs are in full rebuilding mode. Their fans don’t seem to get that a fire sale is in full swing, just as you’d expect in full rebuilding mode.
I get that it SHOULD be in full swing, I’m mystified by how little swinging there has been!
Though I can’t really be mad at the team about Demp. They put together a stellar deal, but he scuttled it and destroyed their leverage. Sigh.
The new CBA gives teams a lot less leverage in trading pending free agents right out of the box. Seems to have been designed that way, as we are finding out.
We need to get rid of Loney and Rivera. Im all for getting Soriano and Demp. Then go get Morneau:
Dee Gordon
Hanley Rameriz
Matt Kemp
Andre Ethier
Justin Morneau
Alfonso Soriano
Mark Ellis
AJ Ellis
Pitcher Spot
Clayton Kershaw
Ryan Dempster
Ted Lily
Chad Billingsley(Harang) Either flipped for twins
Chris Capuano
No Dee Gordon leading off please.
Agreed. Let Ramirez leadoff and put Gordon ahead of AJ Ellis in the #7 spot. With as many pitches as AJ sees, if Gordon gets on base it will give him a ton of opportunities to steal. With Soriano or Morneau (or Hart, or Willingham, or Pence), we don’t need Ramirez in the middle of the lineup. He’d be great leading off.
Cubs are having horrible luck this trade deadline… And they looked stocked to reload the farm. I figured Dempster, Garza, Barney, Soriano, and Lahair were going
Epstein is overrated and he’s been asking far too much for players. If the price comes down, they can still restock.
Don’t you mean Jed Hoyer?
Can we please decide who is actually the GM for the Cubs? Has Ned been talking to the wrong person this entire time?
Technically, Hoyer is GM and Theo is Team President, but one can imagine that both are calling teams.
Epstein helped Boston win 2 World Series.
Who is the “one team that checked in on him”? I think the Buccos could find some room for him in a Corner OF spot. Especially if he comes cheap.
Fonzi is having a very nice year. Much improved fielding and batting, 0 errors! That being said if the Cubs are eating the entire salary we better damn well be getting something of use back. Even last years production at a near league minimum salary is a steal for any team.
Can they dump Loney and Uribe to the Cubs for Soriano and LaHair
That would make no sense for the Cubs.
I’m sorry LaHair is bad 212 BA since May I would much rather keep Loney.
Yea, cuz Rizzo isn’t the future 1B for the Cubs…. right?
A trade for morneau would be a good fit for the dodgers i think. Im not sure how hes is doing this year, but he does have the capability of being more of a power bat than the other players mentioned. Loney and a prospect for morneau, prospect plus cash for dempster
Morneau hasn’t been all that good this year but he could see his numbers improve by moving away from Target Field. I doubt the Twins would want Loney in a deal for him.
Loney has ZERO trade value. He’s a free agent after the season, and he’s overpaid for the remainder of this one.
It’d be a sad thing to see, but it’s obvious that Justin isn’t worth $14MM anymore. I don’t know what the Dodgers would give us if they took on his full contract, but that would open up some payroll space to sign a decent SP or two. And if the Dodgers offered us Zach Lee for Josh, let’s do it.
Get the Deal with the Twins done!!!!