Felix Pie Not Available
UPDATE: A source of mine says that despite Hendry’s claims to the contrary, Pie was dangled. Since no deal could be reached, it makes sense to say publicly that he was never available. The source adds that Hendry continues to search for a bat this morning.
Multiple sources had been saying Felix Pie was available, so it’s nice to see Cubs GM Jim Hendry debunk that talk today. He won’t be traded, and hasn’t been discussed. Cubs fans can exhale.
Long Shot: Willis Back To Cubs?
Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has an interesting note in today’s Rumor Mill:
"The Cubs also still covet Dontrelle Willis as "the one that got away" and–despite his not being on the market–Willis is one player the Cubs could get if Larry Beinfest suddenly changes his mind about that. Adding Felix Pie to Jacque Jones and Donald Veal would get it done, while not adding to the Cubs payroll."
Jim Hendry already tried to patch up one of the all-time classic Cub mistakes by signing Greg Maddux before the 2004 season. At least that departure didn’t happen under Hendry’s watch.
Back in March of 2002, Hendry traded Ryan Jorgensen, Jose Cueto, Julian Tavarez, and Willis to the Marlins for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca. Where are they now?
- Jorgensen, a catcher, had a four-game cup of coffee for the Fish in ’05, and now toils for the Reds’ Triple A team.
- Cueto, a pitcher, never made it past Double A and finished off his career back in the Cubs’ system in ’04.
- Tavarez started 27 games for the 2002 Marlins, but his performance was worth only 0.4 wins. He left via free agency after the season to sign with the Pirates. Now he’s with Boston, of course.
- Clement provided a ton of value to the Cubs during 2002-04; he was worth about 17 wins over those three years according to Baseball Prospectus. He was worth 4.8 wins in 2003, but Willis was worth 5.8 in fewer innings. Getting Clement made this a respectable deal for Hendry, though in hindsight he would’ve rather just kept Willis. Clement signed a three-year deal with B Boston and succumbed to shoulder woes in Year 2 of the pact. He hopes to help Boston as a reliever in September, which should be interesting.
- Alfonseca was OK as the Cubs’ closer in ’02, saving 19 games. He was not helpful in ’03, and the Cubs let him go. Now he’s in the Phillies’ pen.
Back to the present day rumor. Jones, while hitting better of late, probably would not be missed by the Cubs. He’s still only slugging .382 in July. Veal was the Cubs’ best pitching prospect heading into the season but has taken a step backward in Double A. Veal has been control problems, though his arm has been described as "electric." Lefty starters who can touch 95 can be hard to find.
Pie, though, would be the gem of the deal and the player with the best shot at stardom. Literally – BP gives him a 30-40% chance at becoming a star player. He struggled mightily in his first 139 ABs with the Cubs, but he now owns Triple A pitching. He should be the Cubs’ starting center fielder for the next six years at least. Trading him for the declining Willis would create another "one that got away" situation, which seems perfectly Cub-like. Most likely nothing happens in the next two days, but we might revisit this rumor this winter.
Murton Late Scratch; Payton Talks Itensify
UPDATE: While perhaps shopping Murton, the Cubs have had significant talks regarding Baltimore’s Jay Payton. The Cubs would send over two mid-level prospects; does Murton fit that criteria? Payton will make $5MM next year to finish his contract.
UPDATE 2: RotoWorld says Murton was scratched tonight to allow Cliff Floyd to play and then get Sunday off.
Matt Murton was a late scratch for tonight’s Cubs-Reds game. Does it mean anything? We should know soon enough. This time of year, every scratch or unexpected mid-game substitution is magnified.
The Cubs have been talking to the Rangers about lefty reliever Ron Mahay and catcher Gerald Laird, so maybe there’s a connection. The Rangers could definitely find room for Murton in their outfield.
Take it with a grain of salt, but a Cubs source of mine confirms Felix Pie‘s availability (huh?) and says the Cubs made an inquiry on Torii Hunter. While intriguing, I wouldn’t expect either player to be traded.
Padres Failed Trade Talks: Dye, Pie
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune has a couple of blurbs about inquires trade inquiries made by Padres GM Kevin Towers.
The first says that Kenny Williams’s asking price for Jermaine Dye a few weeks ago was Khalil Greene and Scott Linebrink. I’m surprised the White Sox would focus on Greene, as him game isn’t terribly different from Juan Uribe‘s. But the Padres don’t have anyone else to turn to at shortstop. Greene doesn’t reach free agency until after the 2009 season. Anyway, the Padres chose to go with Milton Bradley instead of Dye.
Additionally, the Padres asked the Cubs about Felix Pie. Jim Hendry informed Towers that he’s untouchable. Maybe no one is truly "untouchable," but what could the Padres realistically offer? Jake Peavy or Chris Young seems silly, leaving the most valuable young Padres as Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Chase Headley, and maybe Cla Meredith. There doesn’t seem to be a fit for the Cubs. Maybe Towers was just inquiring to see if Hendry would sacrifice the future for a useful 2007 piece.
Felix Pie Debuts
Interesting development in Chicago, as Cubs top prospect Felix Pie has gotten the call and is leading off against the Padres today. Word is that Angel Guzman was sent down, so Alfonso Soriano will not need to hit the DL.
Here’s a quick look at Pie from a fantasy perspective. It seems like a brief taste, a chance to give Pie a week of starts in the bigs. Once Soriano is healthy, the Cubs will have a crowded outfield with Matt Murton, Cliff Floyd, and Jacque Jones, Daryle Ward, and Pie also in the picture. I doubt the Cubs want to use Pie as a fifth outfielder, so he’ll probably return to Triple A unless a Jones trade is in the offing. That kind of deal seems unlikely for April.
Kaplan: Cubs “Trying Hard” For Tejada
Late last night I talked to Dave Kaplan, co-host of WGN’s Sports Central. Dave gave me a different take on the Miguel Tejada situation than what my source told me.
He said his sources indicate the White Sox are out of the Tejada sweepstakes and that the Red Sox are also backing away now that Manny said he’ll stay. According to Kaplan, the Cubs are "trying hard." He also mentioned that there’s "still a long way to go to get a deal done, but if the Cubs will include Felix Pie they could get it done."
FoxSports’s Ken Rosenthal threw his hat into the ring last night, indicating that the Phillies have offered Bobby Abreu for Tejada and would play Tejada at third base. Of course, Abreu has the power to veto such a trade.
At any rate, more than one source has indicated that the Tejada situation will get resolved today, whether he stays or goes. I guess we’ll see.
In other news, Dan Connolly of the Chicago Tribune quotes an industry source saying the Cubs are "closing in" on a trade to send Corey Patterson to Baltimore for an unknown minor leaguer. The minor leaguer is said to not be one of the Orioles’ top five. Based on Will Lingo’s top ten list for Baseball America, perhaps numbers 6-10 are possible. I’m just speculating, but the Cubs could really use a guy like Val Majewski if the Orioles would part with him.